A federal judge in Florida has ordered two American businessmen to
remain in jail to face charges of illegally shipping military aircraft
parts to Iran. In Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports the two are
accused of violating a U.S. ban on military exports.
The judge
in Miami agreed to continue holding the two men who were detained in
separate operations in south Florida last week. He also set an
arraignment hearing for July 8.
The men are Iranian-born Hassan
Keshari, who runs a California-based company that sells aviation
equipment, and Romanian-born Traian Bujduveanu, who sells aircraft
parts near Miami. Authorities say they searched Bujduveanu's company
and found hundreds of parts for various military aircraft.
The
two are accused of buying U.S.-made parts and shipping them to a firm
in Dubai, where they were transferred to buyers in Iran. Prosecutors
say neither man had a license to sell Iran the equipment, which
included parts for two military helicopters, and the F-14 Tomcat
fighter jet.
Military experts say U.S. restrictions have made it
difficult for Iran to find parts for its aging fleet of F-14 jets,
which were acquired from the United States in the 1970s.
Victor
Comras, a former U.S. diplomat, says the United States has created
tough licensing requirements to prevent any military technology from
ending up in the hands of Iran's government.
"American
exporters are responsible to know who the ultimate consignees are for
the goods they get. These kind of [aircraft] goods generally are
shipped under license, either a general license, or a specific license
in the case of anything that might go to Iran," he said.
Comras
says the impact of U.S. sanctions has diminished in recent years, as
Iran has forged ties with European and Asian nations. He said new
restrictions being proposed by some European nations would create new
pressure on Iran to end its nuclear program and its support for
terrorist groups.
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