Iranian CEO sentenced for conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The founder and CEO of an Iranian financial services firm accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran was sentenced Thursday to nearly two years in federal prison.

Seyed Sajjad Shahidian, 33, pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to defraud and commit offenses against the United States. Shahidian, a citizen of Iran, was arrested in London in November 2018 but wasn’t extradited to the U.S. until this past May.

U.S. expected to impose new sanctions on Iran’s financial sector – source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is preparing to impose fresh sanctions on Iran’s financial industry as soon as Thursday, a Republican congressional aide briefed on the matter said, as Washington ramps up pressure on Tehran weeks ahead of a key U.S. election.

The move, which would effectively shut Iran out of the global financial sector, comes after the United States last month said it triggered a “snap back,” or resumption, of virtually all U.N. sanctions on Iran, an assertion rejected by key European allies and most U.N. Security Council members including Russia and China.