by Deb Cupples | It's amazing that it was even possible for such a thing to happen. The Justice Department reports:
"An Iranian national has been arrested and charged, along with ten other defendants, with participating in a conspiracy to export U.S.-made military aircraft parts to Iran....
"Baktash Fattahi and ten other defendants were indicted on April 2, 2009, by a federal grand jury sitting in Miami on charges of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the U.S. Iran Embargo, and the Arms Export Control Act for their participation in a conspiracy to export U.S.-made military aircraft parts to Iran."
"The other defendants charged in the indictment are [tabulation added]:
Amir Hosein Atabaki, an Iranian national;
Mohammad Javad Mohammad Esmaeil, an Iranian national;
Abbas Haider, an Indian citizen residing in Dubai;
Mohammed Javid Yahya Saboni, an Iranian national residing in Dubai;
Reza Zahedi Pour, an Iranian national;
Mahdi Electronic Trading Co, an Iranian business;
Planet Commercial Brokerage, a Dubai business;
Raht Aseman Co, Ltd, an Iranian business;
Sahab Phase, an Iranian business; and Sea Speed UAE, a Dubai business.
"All of these aircraft are known to be used primarily, if not
exclusively, by the Iranian military. Moreover, all of the military
parts exported by the defendants are manufactured in the United States,
are designed exclusively for military use, and have been designated by
the U.S. Department of State as 'defense articles' on the USML, thus
requiring registration and licensing with the DDTC. None of the
defendants are registered or had the required license to ship defense
articles to Iran." (DoJ)
So, I ask again: how can this even happen?
The military hardware was made in America. Don't the companies that make, store, or distribute such parts have a duty to check out the people who want to buy the hardware? At the very least, to make sure that purchasers have licenses?
Or was the hardware in the custody of the U.S. military? Some other government entity? Whoever had custody of the hardware, which government officials are responsible for overseeing security-related matters?
God knows that our nation's bureaucrats are darned proficient at setting up systems to make people jump through hoops -- like 70-year-old ladies seeking to board an airplane.
Surely, hoops and checks and security measures should be in place to prevent unlicensed individuals from procuring and shipping munitions that could, conceivably, be used against the U.S. or our allies.
Other buck Naked Politics Posts:
* $1 Billion (More) in Military Hardware Missing in Iraq
* Contractor Northrup to Settle Fraud Suit for $325 Million
* High Cost of Private Contractors (and Waste, Fraud & Abuse)
* Time for Pentagon to Get Serious About Contractor Fraud
* Blackwater Took Iraqi Airplanes, CEO Misled Congress?
* DoD Rewarded Bad Contractor Performance?
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