The former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contractor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to working as an Iranian agent and sharing sensitive US airport data with an Iranian intelligence agent.
Abouzar Rahmati, 42, has conspired and admitted to act and act as an Iranian agent in US soil “without prior notice to the Attorney General.” press release From the Department of Justice (DOJ).
According to court documents, “at least” from December 2017 to June 2024, Ramati will work with the Iranian government to “use cover stories to hide his actions, obtain employment with FAA contractors with access to sensitive, private information on the US aviation sector, obtain open source and private materials on the US solar energy industry, and promote Iran’s release.
The information he shared, including documents relating to solar energy, solar panels, the FAA, US airports and US air traffic control towers, was given to Iran-based brothers by Ramati. The document was then given to Iran’s intelligence agency on his behalf in mid-2022, court filings have been shown.
The guilty plea comes as the US and Iran have recently been engaged in indirect consultations regarding Tehran’s nuclear program despite years of tense relations between the two countries.
According to the Trump administration, Iran and the US envoys have recently concluded the first round of “positive” and “constructive” debates in Oman and agreed to proceed with discussions this weekend.
US national security experts pushed back President Trump’s decision to hold talks with the Middle Eastern nation, comparing the latest talks to a previous agreement between former President Obama and Iran. Trump withdrew from the joint comprehensive plan of action, more commonly known as Iran’s nuclear deal in 2018.
