Saber Fakih

Saber Fakih, a 48-year-old British citizen, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. His case involved conspiring with Bader Fakih, Altaf Faquih, and Alireza Taghavi to export an Industrial Microwave System (IMS) and counter-drone system from the United States to Iran without the necessary licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The conspiracy aimed to procure sensitive dual-use items that have potential military applications. The industrial microwave system could be modified for use in high-power microwave-based directed-energy weapons, and the counter-drone system could be used to neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles. Fakih acted as the primary liaison between the Iranian purchaser and the U.S. vendor, coordinating the bid, inspection, and purchase of these systems.

Fakih’s co-conspirators represented themselves as procurement agents for Rayan Roshd, an Iranian firm later sanctioned for its connections with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). As part of the scheme, funds were transferred from Iran to the UAE, converted into U.S. dollars, and used to pay the U.S. vendors.