BURSTThe U.S. on Monday charged two Iranian officials in a scheme that contributed to a deadly January drone attack that killed three American troops in Jordan.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, 42, who is a U.S.-Iranian national from Natick, Mass., and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, also known as Mohammad Abedini, 38, of Tehran, Iran.
Both are accused of conspiring to export from the U.S. sophisticated electronic components to Iran, while Abedini is also accused of providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC), a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization that was involved in the drone attack on the base in Jordan, according to DOJ.
The Jan. 28 drone attack was attributed to an Iraqi militia group backed by Iran. The U.S. conducted heavy retaliatory strikes after the Jordan attack in Iraq and Syria targeting Iranian-backed groups, which have attacked American bases since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in October 2023.
The American servicemembers killed in the January attack were all from Georgia: Sgt. William Jerome Rivers; Sgt. Breonna Moffett; and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the U.S. has now charged Iranian officials who conspired to supply Iran with the drone navigation technology used in the attack.
"Our message is unmistakable: if you provide support to the Iranian regime’s campaign of terror and violence targeting Americans — we will find you, arrest you, and hold you accountable in a U.S. court, no matter where you are," Garland said in a statement.
Sadeghi was arrested in Massachusetts and Abedini was arrested in Italy at the request of U.S. authorities, the DOJ said.
Abedini is the founder and managing director of San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co., which is responsible for supplying Iran with drone navigation modules and supporting the IRGC, the DOJ said.
He also created a front company in Switzerland, Illumove SA, that was involved in smuggling U.S. parts and components to Iran.
Sadeghi allegedly formed an undisclosed company that worked with Abedini's business to procure drone parts from the U.S., the DOJ said.
Both Sadehi and Abedini face up to 20 years in prison, while Abedini additionally faces a life in prison sentence.