July 8, 2008
hp-1071
Treasury Designates Iranian Proliferation Individuals, Entities
Washington - The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated four individuals and four entities for their ties to Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
"Iran's nuclear and missile firms hide behind an array of agents that transact business on their behalf," said Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. "As long as Iran continues to engage in such deceptive practices, companies and banks must exercise extraordinary vigilance to avoid participating in illicit transactions."
The individuals designated today include Dawood Agha-Jani, Moshen Hojati, Mehrdada Akhlaghi Ketabachi, and Naser Maleki. The entities designated today include Shahid Sattari Industries, Seventh of Tir (a/k/a 7th of Tir), Ammunition and Metallurgy Industries Group (AMIG), and Parchin Chemical Industries.
This action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13382, an authority aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters, and at isolating them from the U.S. financial and commercial systems. Designations under E.O. 13382 are implemented by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the State Department, and they generally prohibit transactions between the designees and U.S. persons, and freeze assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
The Annex to E.O. 13382, issued by President George W. Bush in June 2005, designated the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG), and the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG) as entities of proliferation concern.
The AEOI, which reports directly to the Iranian President, is the main Iranian
organization for research and development activities in the field of nuclear technology, including Iran's centrifuge enrichment program; it also manages Iran's overall nuclear program. The AEOI is identified in the Annex to United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1737 for its involvement in Iran's nuclear program.
Dawood Agha-Jani is being designated because he acts or purports to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the AEOI. Agha-Jani was listed in UNSCR 1737 for his involvement in Iran's nuclear program, and identified as the head of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) at Natanz. Natanz, which is subordinate to the AEOI, is Iran's main uranium enrichment facility. The PFEP is a test facility that has the capacity to hold 1,000 centrifuges.
Moshen Hojati is being designated because he acts or purports to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the AIO and the Fajr Industries Group. The AIO, a subsidiary of the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, is the overall manager and coordinator of Iran's missile program. AIO oversees all of Iran's missile industries. Its subsidiaries, SBIG and SHIG, were both identified in the Annex to UNSCR 1737.
Hojati has been linked to the AIO since at least 2001, serving in various capacities. Hojati was listed in UNSCR 1747 for his involvement in Iran's ballistic missile program, and identified as the head of the Fajr Industries Group, an entity identified in the Annex to UNSCR1737 and designated by OFAC under E.O. 13382, on June 8, 2007, for being owned or controlled by the AIO.
Mehrdada Akhlaghi Ketabachi is being designated because be acts or purports to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, SBIG. As the head of SBIG, Ketabachi plays a key role in SBIG's day-to-day affairs. Ketabachi is also active in negotiating the procurement of equipment for SBIG.
Naser Maleki is being designated because he acts or purports to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, SHIG. Maleki has been identified in UNSCR 1747 as the head of SHIG and an Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) official who oversees work on the Shahab-3 ballistic missile program.
Also designated today is Shahid Sattari Industries, an entity which is owned or controlled by, and acts or purports to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, SBIG. Shahid Sattari Industries is involved in the manufacturing and maintenance of ground support equipment for SBIG.
The other three entities designated today, Seventh of Tir (a/k/a 7th of Tir), Ammunition and Metallurgy Industries Group (AMIG), and Parchin Chemical Industries, are owned or controlled by, or act or purport to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Iran's Defense Industries Organization (DIO). The U.S. Department of State designated DIO under E.O. 13382 on March 28, 2007, for engaging or attempting to engage in activities or transactions that materially contributed to or pose a risk of materially contributing to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery. DIO also is identified in the Annex to UNSCR 1737.
AMIG was listed in UNSCR 1747 for its relationship with Seventh of Tir, which it controls. Seventh of Tir has been involved in a variety of international transactions related to weapons procurement. UNSCR 1737 described Seventh of Tir as a subordinate of DIO, widely recognized as being directly involved in Iran's nuclear program. Seventh of Tir has been connected to Iran's centrifuge development program.
Parchin Chemical Industries is an element of DIO's chemical industries group and is identified in the Annex to UNSCR 1747. As a subordinate of DIO, Parchin acts on behalf of DIO, importing and exporting chemical goods throughout the world. In April 2007, Parchin Chemical Industries was identified as the final recipient of sodium perchlorate monohydrate, a chemical precursor for solid propellant oxidizer, possibly to be used for ballistic missiles.
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