Former FAA Contractor, Naturalized US Citizen, Pleads Guilty to Spying for Iran
The ex-contractor for Federal Aviation Administration is facing up to 15 years in prison, DOJ says
Matthew Xiao
April 17, 2025
A former Federal Aviation Administration contractor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to acting as a secret agent for Iran, supplying Tehran with sensitive U.S. aviation and energy data over a seven-year span.
Abouzar Rahmati, a 42-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, admitted in federal court to conspiring to act and acting as an agent of the Iranian government while working as an FAA contractor in the United States. The Department of Justice said Rahmati passed non-public data about the U.S. aviation sector and solar energy industry to Iranian intelligence officials from at least December 2017 through June 2024.
The case comes as President Donald Trump has ramped up his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. Trump threatened the Islamic Republic with military action after Tehran last month rejected direct negotiations with Washington. "If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing," Trump said. "It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before."
https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/former-faa-contractor-naturalized-us-citizen-pleads-guilty-to-spying-for-iran/