September 15, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

A Belgian arms dealer who allegedly tried to smuggle fighter-jet engines and parts from the United States to Iran has been indicted, U.S. officials announced days after he was arrested in New York City after stepping off a flight from France. Jacques Monsieur, 56, was charged Aug. 27 by a federal grand jury with six counts of conspiracy, smuggling, money laundering, and violating weapons-trafficking laws and export controls related to a U.S. trade embargo on Iran.

Co-defendant Dara Fotouhi, 54, an Iranian national who lives in France and allegedly works with the government of Iran, is still at large, the Justice Department said in a statement. The case is the latest U.S. effort to counter what authorities describe as Tehran’s pursuit of banned weaponry. It comes as the United States and other countries renew efforts to pressure Iran to scale back its nuclear ambitions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203859.html?hpid=sec-nation

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September 15, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Starting Sept. 8, federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to use a federal verification program to check whether their employees are eligible to legally work in the United States. The program, known as E-Verify or Basic Pilot, has been controversial because of errors in the databases that it relies on.

It’s a free, Internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration that uses information from the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9). It’s meant to screen current employees, not potential hires. For the past five years, the program has been offered on a voluntary basis. Nationwide, about 144,000 companies at more than half a million worksites use E-Verify.

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/09/everify_becomes_mandatory_empl.html

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September 15, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Iran increasingly is obtaining U.S. military equipment and technology through shipments to Malaysian middlemen that illegally circumvent trade restrictions, according to American officials and analysts.

The U.S. has charged, convicted or sentenced defendants in at least six cases involving Malaysia since August 2008. The shipments have included parts for bombers and items sent to firms linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program, according to court papers. More Malaysia shipments are under investigation, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aK4daf8MD.Bw

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