Charges have been dismissed against an Iranian-born scientist accused of illegally trying to export an MRI coil to Iran four years ago.
According to an April 28 report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, the alleged plans by Mohamad Reza Nazemzadeh would have violated the U.S. embargo against sending products to Iran. Nazemzadeh reportedly was working as a research scientist in Michigan when he corresponded with San Diego-based MRI supplier Sound Imaging to buy and ship the coil to a hospital in Iran in 2011.
In July 2015, the U.S. removed sanctions against Iran after the country agreed to terminate its nuclear program. And last fall, the U.S. government added MRI scanners to the list of products that can be exported to Iran without a license.
While the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego declined to comment, Nazemzadeh's lawyer was quoted as saying the dropped charge was due to changes in the "legal landscape, and the political climate ... since this case was filed."
The U.S. attorney also dropped an obstruction of justice charge.
