The US businessman, Ray Hunt, has been sentenced to five years in prison for supplying sanctioned goods to Iran.
According to the US Department of Justice, he violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
In May 2014, Hunt registered Vega Tools LLC as a company that purchased and resold equipment for the energy sector. From at least 2015 until his arrest in 2022, he conspired with Iranian companies to illegally export US-made industrial equipment to Iran’s oil, gas and petrochemical industries.
Ray Hunt used third-party transportation companies in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and routed payments through UAE banks in his deals.
He lied to U.S. customs and border protection officers regarding the nature and existence of his business when he was questioned after his March 2020 trip to Iran.
In July 2014, Hunt pled guilty to conspiring to export US-origin goods to the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of US trade sanctions.
