TORONTO (AP) - A Canadian man has been charged with trying to export nuclear technology to Iran, his native country, police said Friday.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Greg Johnson said Mahmoud Yadegari tried to ship pressure transducers, which are devices that can be used in enriching uranium.
Iran has defied U.N. Security Council demands that it stop enrichment. The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons secretly under the guise of a civilian atomic energy program, but Tehran insists its efforts are aimed only at generating electricity.
While pressure transducers are relatively easy to obtain, police said Yadegari took steps to conceal what the devices were so he could export them overseas without export permits.
Authorities said Yadegari improperly described the items, underevaluated their value and physically removed some of their packaging and labeling when trying to ship them to a company in Dubai that had affiliations in Iran.
“The declared point of destination was Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. However, we have evidence to support the fact that its ultimate destination was Iran,” Johnson said at a news conference.
Police said a tip from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security led them to find Yadegari bought 10 transducers from a Boston-area company for about 1,100 Canadian dollars each, nearly $910. Police declined to release the name of the U.S. company that sold the transducers.
Yadegari, described as a Toronto businessman and a Canadian citizen in his mid-30s, was charged under the Customs Act and Export Import Permits Act and also accused of violating U.N. sanctions on Iran.
Maximum punishment for violating the export act alone includes a fine of 1 million Canadian dollars, about $825,700, and a prison sentence of 10 years.
Yadegari was in jail pending a bail hearing. Police said they did not know what lawyer was representing him.
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