The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced the conviction of Massachusetts resident Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, a dual U.S.-Iranian national, for his role in a scheme to illegally export sophisticated U.S. electronic components to Iran. On July 13, 2026, a federal jury in Boston found Sadeghi guilty of one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), and two substantive counts of violating those laws. According to the DOJ, Sadeghi was employed by Massachusetts-based microelectronics manufacturer and helped found a technology company that specializes in wearable sensors that provide kinetic monitoring for fitness applications. Federal prosecutors accuse Sadeghi of using his access to U.S. microelectronics to help route U.S.-origin components through a Switzerland-based front company for the benefit of San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co. (“SDRA”), an Iranian company whose navigation systems were used in drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
According to court documents, Sadeghi conspired with others, including Mohammad Abedininajafabadi (also known as Mohammad Abedini) of Tehran, to evade U.S. export control and sanctions laws by procuring U.S.-origin electronic components from an unnamed company and causing them to be exported to Abedini’s company in Iran. Federal prosecutors contend that Abedini founded and led SDRA, a company whose Sepehr Navigation System was sold primarily to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, an organization that has been designated in the United States as a foreign terrorist organization since 2019. According to the DOJ, U.S. investigators have also determined that a navigation system made by Abedini’s company was found in an Iranian Shahed drone used in the January 2024 Tower 22 attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members and injured more than 40 others.
Sadeghi and Abedini were initially charged for their roles in the sanctions evasion scheme in December 2024 and then again, in December 2025, in a superseding indictment. According to the DOJ, Abedini is wanted and remains a fugitive from justice. Following his 14-day jury trial, Sadeghi awaits sentencing. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced on October 13, 2026.
DOJ Press Release | Verdict| Superseding Indictment