Alabama man charged in alleged scheme to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran

An Iranian national flag flies above the new Phase 3 facility at the Persian Gulf Star Co. (PGSPC) gas condensate refinery in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Wednesday, Jan. 9. 2019. The third phase of the refinery begins operations next week and will add 12-15 million liters a day of gasoline output capacity to the plant, Deputy Oil Minister Alireza Sadeghabadi told reporters.

The Alabama man is accused of scheming to sell oil and gas equipment to Iran.

According to the indictment, Ray Hunt was indicted on 15 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., sanctions violations, goods smuggled and submitting false or misleading export information. He could face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine if found guilty.

Hunt was born in Iran and became a naturalized citizen. He is known as Rahman Hantoosh.

According to the U.S., Hunt began planning in November of last year to ship control valves, oil tubing and other goods from the US to Iran.

He appeared in court Tuesday.

Clinton signed an executive order prohibiting certain transactions related to Iran's oil resources. The order has been extended by every president.