A U.S. court heard that a 44-year-old Iranian citizen admitted running a scheme to route U.S. military-grade sonar components to Iran by routing shipments through China, leading to a guilty plea on multiple federal export and smuggling charges.
A 44-year-old Iranian national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to federal felonies tied to violating trade sanctions against Iran. The defendant, identified as Reza Dindar and also known as Renda Dindar, admitted involvement in a deliberate export scheme that targeted restricted military-related technology. The case centers on parts for military sonar systems obtained from the United States and diverted to Iran.
Dindar was originally indicted by a grand jury in August 2014 and was arrested in Panama in July 2025 at the request of U.S. authorities. He was extradited to the United States in April 2026 to face the charges. Today’s plea resolves counts alleging illegal exports and smuggling from the United States.
The court accepted guilty pleas to two counts of export to an embargoed country and two counts of smuggling goods from the United States, and U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez set sentencing for August 28, 2026. Those specific charges carry serious federal penalties and reflect enforcement of long-standing U.S. trade restrictions. The case underscores that evading export controls remains a major federal priority.
The conduct at issue violated sanctions based on Presidential Executive Orders first issued in March 1995 and reimposed in 2001, which bar unauthorized exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply of goods, technology, or services from the United States to Iran or the Government of Iran. The orders also prohibit supplying U.S.-origin goods to third countries with reason to know they will be forwarded to Iran. Those legal restrictions are central to the government’s prosecution strategy in this matter.
According to the plea agreement, from 2010 through 2014 Dindar managed a company called New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China. That business concealed its role procuring items in the United States on behalf of Iranian companies, instead declaring the ultimate destination as China. The scheme relied on false paperwork and deceptive representations to mask the true end user of the equipment.
Investigators say that in 2011 and 2012 Dindar and co-conspirators used deception to purchase parts for three military sonar systems from a business located in the Western District of Washington. The purchases were made with claims the systems would be used by a Chinese company, when the actual plan was to move the components through China and onward to Iran. Those transactions are the core factual basis for the export and smuggling charges he admitted to in court.
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Dindar’s guilty pleas carry statutory maximums that reflect the gravity of the offense: export to an embargoed country can result in up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine, while smuggling goods from the United States can bring up to 10 years behind bars and fines up to $250,000. Those penalties are designed to deter deliberate efforts to funnel U.S. technology to hostile states and to protect national security interests. Prosecutors will seek a sentence that matches the seriousness of the conduct.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security – Office of Export Enforcement together with Homeland Security Investigations. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with Panama to secure Dindar’s arrest and extradition, and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service provided substantial assistance during the process.
This case illustrates active enforcement of export controls and the international cooperation needed to bring defendants to justice. U.S. agencies continue to prioritize stopping illicit transfers of sensitive technology that could enhance the military capabilities of sanctioned regimes. Sentencing later this summer will determine the final penalties Dindar faces under federal law.
