Analysis by PMOI/MEK
France, May 25, 2019 – An appeals court in Aix en Provence, southern France, approved the extradition of Jalal Rohollahnejad, an Iranian missile expert working with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) aerospace industry, to the United States to face charges of attempting to illegally transfer U.S. technology to Iran for military purposes on behalf of an Iranian company, a judicial source said on Thursday.
According to Reuters, the court also rejected a bail request by the Iranian engineer, Jalal Rohollahnejad, 41, who has been detained since Feb. 2 after being arrested at Nice Airport as he departed a plane arriving from Tehran via Moscow.
U.S. judicial investigators suspect Rohollahnejad of attempting to import into Iran high-power industrial microwave systems from the U.S. that could be used for military purposes.
American authorities say the equipment could be turned into weapons.
U.S. judiciary officials say the engineer acted on behalf of a company linked to Iran’s IRGC.
Rohollahnejad is suspected of working for Rayan Roshd Afszar, an Iran-based company blacklisted by the U.S., with links to the IRGC. Washington recently designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization (FTO).
According to court officials, U.S. authorities suspect Rohollahnejad was involved in an attempt to export sensitive industrial equipment, including microwave and anti-drone systems, to Iran via the United Arab Emirates.
If convicted for his alleged actions, which took place between June 2016 and April 2018, Rohollahnejad could face up to 60 years behind bars.
After withdrawing last May from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to curb the mullahs’ nuclear program, the U.S. has been imposing a raft of sanctions targeting a range of Iranian sectors.
