Reuters reported on Tuesday that new documents revealed China’s Huawei violated US sanctions by sending prohibited US computer equipment to Iran’s largest mobile-phone operator.
“Two Huawei packing lists, dated December 2010, included computer equipment made by Hewlett-Packard Co and destined for the Iranian carrier, internal Huawei documents reviewed by Reuters show,” the agency said.
The Chinese state-owned company for long has been denying any violations of US international sanctions against Tehran. This is first time such powerful documents revealed otherwise, according to Reuters.
“The packing lists and other internal documents, reported here for the first time, provide the strongest documentary evidence to date of Huawei’s involvement in alleged trade sanctions violations,” Reuters added.
Huawei is allegedly not alone in violating the US sanctions. Another Chinese company affiliated with Huawei has also played a role in helping Iran despite the sanctions.
“The newly obtained records reviewed by Reuters show that another Chinese company, Panda International Information Technology Co, which isn’t named in the U.S. indictment, was also involved in acquiring hardware and software for the Iranian project,” the report said.
“People familiar with the matter told Reuters that Huawei regularly used Panda International to ship equipment to customers in Iran and Syria,” the agency added.
The US Justice Department in February has accused China’s Huawei Technologies of helping Iranian regime tracking protesters during the anti-regime demonstrations in 2009 in Tehran.
"Huawei assisted the government of Iran by installing surveillance equipment, including surveillance equipment to monitor, identify, and detain protesters during the anti-government demonstrations of 2009 in Tehran," the prosecutors said in an indictment unsealed on February 13.
Hundreds of people were killed, and thousands were imprisoned during street protests in Iran, which started against the highly controversial presidential election result won by Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
