An Iranian-American man has been charged with trying to buy hundreds of surface to air missiles for the Iranian government.
Reza Olangian has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to acquire and transfer the weapons, along with two counts of violating the International Emergency Economic Power Act, which allows the President of the United States to put restrictions on trade with potentially menacing and dangerous nations.
According to NBC, Olangian was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The court alleged that Olangian had direct communication on a handful of occasions with a secret informant of the Drug Enforcement Administration starting May 2012.
He reportedly posed as an aircraft and weapons broker trying to acquire "at least 200" IGLA-S surface to air missiles, along with various plane parts that he was preparing to send to the Iranian government.
In many conversations and emails between Olangian and the informant, it appears the Iranian-American, who holds dual citizenship in both countries, was planning to smuggle the missiles into Iran by land, entering from Afghanistan or another country nearby.
Olangian was arrested in Estonia in October last year, and was extradited to the United States in March, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The indictment also alleges that Olangian initially attempted to acquire around 100 missiles for the Iranian government in 2007.
It is still unclear if Olangian has yet hired an attorney.
