US charges Singaporeans for selling Iran bomb parts
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WASHINGTON: US justice officials on Tuesday charged four Singaporeans and one Iranian with fraudulently exporting radio equipment to Iran that subsequently ended up in roadside bombs in Iraq.
At least 16 radio antennas were found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq, the US Justice Department said in a statement, noting that the Iranian suspect in the case is still at large.
The indictment said thousands of antennas were meant to be exported from the United States to Iran, and in addition to the four Singaporeans, four companies from the Asian city state had been charged in the alleged plot.
Admiral Mike Mullen, then the top US military officer, said in July that Iran was stepping up its support for Shiite militants in Iraq, supplying them with more sophisticated weapons that were being used against American forces.
"Yesterday, authorities in Singapore arrested Wong Yuh Lan (Wong), Lim Yong Nam (Nam), Lim Kow Seng (Seng), and Hia Soo Gan Benson (Hia), all citizens of Singapore, in connection with a US request for extradition," the justice department statement said.
"The United States is seeking their extradition to stand trial in the District of Columbia," where the US capital Washington is located.
"The remaining individual defendant, Hossein Larijani, is a citizen and resident of Iran who remains at large," it added.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security Lisa Monaco said the defendants had attempted to subvert export controls by sending US-origin components to Iran rather than their stated destination of Singapore.
"Ultimately, several of these components were found in unexploded improvised explosive devices in Iraq," she said.
"This case underscores the continuing threat posed by Iranian procurement networks seeking to obtain US technology through fraud and the importance of safeguarding that technology."
US Attorney Ronald Machen said the defendants misled US companies in buying parts that ended up in IEDs on the battlefield in Iraq. "We hope for a swift response from Singapore to our request for extradition," he added.
US officials regularly accuse Iran of meddling in the politics of Baghdad's Shiite-led government, and training and backing militant groups that target US troops in the south of Iraq.
Analysts have voiced concern that Tehran's ability to interfere could increase as a result of President Barack Obama's announcement last week that all US troops will be pulled out of Iraq by the end of this year.
-AFP/ac -
And if there was oil they would have used this reason to attack SG. Thanks god there is none.
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S'poreans accused by US of selling bomb parts, arrested
SINGAPORE: The four Singaporeans accused by the United States of illegally exporting bomb parts to Iran have been arrested and remanded in custody without bail.
They are Wong Yuh Lan (female, age 39), Lim Yong Nam (male, age 37), Lim Kow Seng (male, age 42) and Benson Hia Soon Gan (male, age 44).
They were arrested by Commercial Affairs Department officers on Tuesday, and later produced in Court number 10 of the Subordinate Courts.
Singapore's Attorney-General's Chambers said the extradition papers submitted by the US are in the process of being served on the four persons or their counsel.
There'll be a hearing to go through the evidence provided by the US in order for the court to decide whether there are sufficient grounds to extradite them.
The AGC said the case further underscores Singapore's commitment to internationally-coordinated efforts in the context of transnational crime so that enforcement agencies are not hampered when dealing with persons operating across borders.
It also shows that Singapore takes its international obligations seriously.
The AGC said Singapore shares the US' concerns about the violation of export control laws and the illegal diversion of strategic goods, and will not condone Singapore being used as a base for proliferation activities.
The case will be mentioned at the Subordinate Courts of Singapore again on November 1.
- CNA/cc -
Originally posted by Bio-Hawk:
And if there was oil they would have used this reason to attack SG. Thanks god there is none.
Haha, would even a democratic president do that?
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Originally posted by Siliconchip:
Haha, would even a democratic president do that?
Obama attacked Libya and killed Gaddafi.
Libya to give up WMD
Libya has said it will give up its programmes for developing weapons of mass destruction and allow unconditional inspections.
Gaddafi's government negotiated with the US and UKPresident Muammar Gaddafi said that, after months of negotiations with the West, his country was ready to play its role in building a world free from all forms of terrorism...
Gaddafi gave up his nuclear programs and the west stabbed him in the back and killed him in the end.
This is a warning to those who are naive enough to trust the west.
But the true master in these games with the west and a man that I respect for his tactical skills is Kim Jong il.
He is not a simple guy. He is extremely good at playing these political games with the U.S.
But that is another long story.
Even with his friends he is also cunning.
....At the risk of jumping the gun, let me stick my neck out. I reckon that at long last this is for real. The pipeline and power lines will get built, and they are a game-changer. Here's why.
Kim Jong-il's genius lies in his timing. I was puzzled why he didn't go for this sooner, but I see now. He was holding the Russian card in reserve, waiting for the killer moment to use it.
That moment is now. Three-way energy cooperation slays several birds with a single stone. Diplomatically, just when China thought it had North Korea in the bag as sole sustainer, Kim has leapt free to remind Beijing - and all of us - that he still has other options. We are back to North Korea's old game of playing off one power against another. He's very good at that.
Economically, it's money for old rope - or new gas. All Kim has to do is sit and collect the rent, which some estimates put as high as $500 million a year. Nice, for doing nothing.
Moreover, the deal must include some of that power and gas staying in the North, where it is sorely needed. North Korea's creaking power grid, and its industries, will get a vital boost.
Best of all, it puts the South on the spot. This is an offer Lee Myung-bak can't refuse, neatly timed. With elections in the South next year, Lee is already a lame duck; he can't run again. His hard line on the North has clearly failed. His successor, left or right, will try a different tack. With fears growing since Japan's tragedy over South Korea's dependence on nuclear power, no one in Seoul is going to turn down a pan-Korean gas pipeline, if it materializes.
This won't solve North Korea's problems, let alone the North Korea problem. But yet again Kim Jong-il looks to have won a new lease of life. You have to admire the old poker player. -
If I export ball bearings, for use in rollers to Iraq, Iran, Afganistan, and they are found in IEDs, would that be considered exporting bomb parts to those countries?
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S'poreans accused of exporting bomb parts to Iran further remanded
SINGAPORE: The four Singaporeans, accused by the US of illegally exporting bomb parts to Iran, have been remanded for another seven days.
Their next court appearance will be on Tuesday, 8 November, where the judge will fix a date for the committal hearing to take place.
At the committal hearing, likely to take place end of this month, the judge will decide if there are sufficient grounds for them to be extradited to the US.
All four, who were shackled, appeared solemn at their second court appearance on November 1.
Relatives were also at the court session which started at 5.25pm.
A relative of 37-year-old Lim Yong Nam was seen breaking down when Lim appeared at the dock.
Lim's lawyer asked for his client to be assessed for a psychiatric report at the Institute of Mental Health.
The lawyer said this will help him advise his client on any bail option.
But the judge declined the request saying a medical assessment will be done by a prison doctor instead.
- CNA /ls -
Remand extended for S'poreans accused of exporting bomb parts
SINGAPORE : The four Singaporeans who have been accused by the US of illegally exporting bomb parts to Iran will be remanded for another week.
Lim Kow Seng, Lim Yong Nam, Benson Hia Soon Guan and Wong Yuh Lan made their third appearance in court on Tuesday.
They will be remanded for seven days - a decision made after a 30-minute closed-door session.
Also turning up in court were some family members, along with officials from the US embassy.
The lawyer of Lim Yong Nam said his client was mentally affected by the case, and will be allowed to see a private psychiatrist.
Hamidul Haq, defence counsel, said: "We made an application for the court to allow my client to be visited by a psychiatrist or for him to be remanded in a mental institution to assess his mental health, because we pointed out that as a result of this case and even before that, he was suffering mentally as a result of the investigations that took place."
The four Singaporeans will be in court next Tuesday.
- CNA/ms -
anyone selling anything to Iran pls take note.... u wont know when u will kena like these 4 too....
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S'porean accused of sending weapons to Iran granted bail
SINGAPORE : One of the four Singaporeans accused by the United States of sending weapons parts to Iran has been granted bail, after a hearing before District Judge Toh Yung Cheong on Tuesday.
The judge granted bail of S$100,000 for Lim Yong Nam, with the condition that his passport be impounded and that he remain contactable by the authorities at all times.
Lim's lawyers - Hamidul Haq and Yusfiyanto Yatiman - submitted Lim's psychiatric report to the court to request that a bail of S$20,000 be allowed.
Deputy public prosecutors Mark Jayaratnam and Crystal Tan argued that the offence was serious and the case was sensitive.
As such, Singapore must give effect to its treaty obligations with the US in good faith, so a high bail amount was called for.
Mr Jayaratnam requested for a S$400,000 bail based on the penalty of a jail term of five years or fine of US$250,000 should Lim be convicted in a US court of his alleged offence.
Mr Haq argued that there was no flight risk as Lim was firmly rooted in Singapore and that he had not absconded when he was investigated by Singapore Customs.
Lim - together with Lim Kow Seng, 42, Benson Hia Soon Gan, 44, and Wong Yuh Lan, 39 - had allegedly duped an American company, Digi International, into selling them 6,000 powerful radio frequency modules in August 2007.
Singapore has a bilateral extradition treaty with the US.
The four, held under the Extradition Act, are awaiting a committal hearing where a judge will decide whether they should be extradited to face charges.
They face 11 counts in the US, including a conspiracy to defraud the US by dishonest means and illegal export of defence articles.
They were said to have tricked Minnesota-based Digi International into selling them the modules through a network of companies.
Those held under the Extradition Act are not allowed bail unless they are sick, infirm or are juveniles.
The committal hearing - where a judge will decide whether the four will be extradited to the US - will take place on December 9 and 12.
- CNA/ms -
Judge allows S'poreans' extradition over bomb parts exports
SINGAPORE: A Singapore judge has cleared the way for the extradition to the United States of four Singaporeans accused of illegally exporting radio components to Iran that later ended up in Iraqi roadside bombs.
The four Singaporeans are Lim Kow Seng, Lim Yong Nam, Benson Hia Soon Guan and Wong Yuh Lan.
They are accused of exporting US-made radio equipment to Iran that ended up in bombs, targeting coalition forces in Iraq.
The charges include conspiracy to defraud the US, smuggling and illegal export of goods from the US to Iran.
An Iranian national, accused of masterminding the illegal export, is currently on the run.
The US government immediately welcomed the decision even though the four accused have 15 days to appeal against the extradition to face a US trial.
US Ambassador to Singapore, David Adelman said the ruling reflects the strong spirit of cooperation between the United States and Singapore in combating transnational crime, including the illicit trade in arms and equipment that can pose significant threats to the United States and the international community.
- CNA/ck -
They really stupid.
Have they not heard of tracking micro-chip implant before?
They deserved to be sent to US prisons and have the burly male prison guards sodomise their arses and rape the woman.
-
Friend......
You must be so naive.......
They are just some ordinary electronics distributor.......
Just think and use your head......
Singapore is a global city and lots of imports-exports companies are trade firms are here......
These 4 people are just your average next-door neighbour electronics trader.....
The one who use their network is probably some Iranian agent or another proxy........
Why would they want to export banned arms materials to Iran purposely ? I dont even think they know or realize what exactly they are doing.
Those are electronics equipment.....maybe dual use.....means can be used for civilian usage as well as military usage.......and I think they are just wholesaler and distributor.......they wont know about some US arms ban......
The whole thing is making me angry.
The coverage in the media is so biased and one-sided.
In the first place, is this ban even legal ?
The ban is from USA. The USA government made it.
Because USA has a political problem with Iran, so they made all these bans and sanctions and blockades.
But not all of these measures have international support. Some are endorsed by UN, so it means all UN members are supposed to follow it, but also there are many measures put in place by USA ownself unilaterally as an extra.
If Im not wrong, this one is from USA unilaterally.
Friends,
Dont you remember last time there was an Australian jihadist (Caucasian boy) who got caught by US soldiers in Afganistan, and then he was put in trial and was about to be punished by jail or whatever by US government, and there was an uproar and a reaction from the Australian public and government. They defended the boy and asked him to be returned.
And that was in war theater, mind you, caught red handed, and those 2 countries are close relatives.
And now.....??
Compare to Singapore..??
For some unilateral blockade measure with dubious legality and morality, these 4 Singaporeans who are electronics distributors, are delivered as sacrificial lambs to satisfy a superpower country.
What makes me angry is that in Straits Times everytime this case is mentioned, they purposely insert the statement from American Ambassador to Singapore, patting and complimenting the Singapore action of delivering sacrificial lambs to satisfy American foreign policy agenda.
WTF ?!
Where is the nationalism ?
Dont you remember,
When the Romanian second-in-charge drove his car and killed some people, there was uproar, from the public and even the government, including Foreign Minister George Yeo who managed to push the case and even cleverly setup some meetings with his counterparts.
(I give him points for that)
But now...?
No voice....?
No defence ?
This one is even worse, because why should Singapore support US foreign policy of imperialism in the Middle East.
But fine.........I can still understand it...for political reasons....I understand Singapore is a small country who need the protection and patronage of a big country like USA....it's ok.....I follow LKY hard nosed no-nonsense approach.......But when the life, safety, wellbeing, and welfare of 4 people are in jeopardy......why is it that Singapore does not try to do something on their behalf ?
At least do something symbolically and make them stop the exports, maybe give them a fine.....or give the punishments here by Singapore local courts and then report it to the US counterpart.......
No action whatsoever to try to help them......
This whole thing is quite pathetic, my friends....
:(
-
Originally posted by Veggie Bao:
Friend......
You must be so naive.......
They are just some ordinary electronics distributor.......
Just think and use your head......
Singapore is a global city and lots of imports-exports companies are trade firms are here......
These 4 people are just your average next-door neighbour electronics trader.....
The one who use their network is probably some Iranian agent or another proxy........
Why would they want to export banned arms materials to Iran purposely ? I dont even think they know or realize what exactly they are doing.
Those are electronics equipment.....maybe dual use.....means can be used for civilian usage as well as military usage.......and I think they are just wholesaler and distributor.......they wont know about some US arms ban......
The whole thing is making me angry.
The coverage in the media is so biased and one-sided.
In the first place, is this ban even legal ?
The ban is from USA. The USA government made it.
Because USA has a political problem with Iran, so they made all these bans and sanctions and blockades.
But not all of these measures have international support. Some are endorsed by UN, so it means all UN members are supposed to follow it, but also there are many measures put in place by USA ownself unilaterally as an extra.
If Im not wrong, this one is from USA unilaterally.
Friends,
Dont you remember last time there was an Australian jihadist (Caucasian boy) who got caught by US soldiers in Afganistan, and then he was put in trial and was about to be punished by jail or whatever by US government, and there was an uproar and a reaction from the Australian public and government. They defended the boy and asked him to be returned.
And that was in war theater, mind you, caught red handed, and those 2 countries are close relatives.
And now.....??
Compare to Singapore..??
For some unilateral blockade measure with dubious legality and morality, these 4 Singaporeans who are electronics distributors, are delivered as sacrificial lambs to satisfy a superpower country.
What makes me angry is that in Straits Times everytime this case is mentioned, they purposely insert the statement from American Ambassador to Singapore, patting and complimenting the Singapore action of delivering sacrificial lambs to satisfy American foreign policy agenda.
WTF ?!
Where is the nationalism ?
Dont you remember,
When the Romanian second-in-charge drove his car and killed some people, there was uproar, from the public and even the government, including Foreign Minister George Yeo who managed to push the case and even cleverly setup some meetings with his counterparts.
(I give him points for that)
But now...?
No voice....?
No defence ?
This one is even worse, because why should Singapore support US foreign policy of imperialism in the Middle East.
But fine.........I can still understand it...for political reasons....I understand Singapore is a small country who need the protection and patronage of a big country like USA....it's ok.....I follow LKY hard nosed no-nonsense approach.......But when the life, safety, wellbeing, and welfare of 4 people are in jeopardy......why is it that Singapore does not try to do something on their behalf ?
At least do something symbolically and make them stop the exports, maybe give them a fine.....or give the punishments here by Singapore local courts and then report it to the US counterpart.......
No action whatsoever to try to help them......
This whole thing is quite pathetic, my friends....
:(
i agree.
carrot bao
-
Thank you my friend.......
But unfortunately there are too many sheep in this world......
They read but they dont understand what is happening.......
-
I think it's time for Singapore to be ruled by chinese.
I am sick of this country being controlled by peranakans.
-
No comment.....
Sensitive topic.....
Peranakan or not, is not the issue.....
The most important thing is, while maintaining geopolitical orientation and safeguarding national self-interest, it is also important to safeguard the life, liberty, welfare, and wellbeing of the people, and dont so easily deliver them away as sacrificial lambs.
:(
-
Originally posted by Veggie Bao:
Sensitive topic.....
You disappoint me Bao. I expected a meatier attitude from you.
Whereas many English-educated Babas re-emphasised their allegiance to the British Empire and were afraid that full independencemight harm their still privileged position, the vast majority of Chinese-educated Chinese were vehemently anti-colonial and anti-imperialist.
http://www.asiawind.com/pub/forum/fhakka/mhonarc/msg01319.html
Yet the problem isn’t solely that Lee Kuan Yew jumped ship and didn’t care to tell anyone about his great experience in his memoirs. The bigger problem lies in the fact that Lee Kuan Yew supported the SPP despite the fact that it was
A) pro-British in both its policies and in its composition of members (mostly English-speaking upper class professionals)
B) unsupportive of achieving independence (it merely paid lip-service to the idea by declaring in October 1952, its objective of Singapore achieving independence through a Singapore-Malaya merger without setting a target date)
http://asiancorrespondent.com/7341/is-lee-kuan-yew-more-interested-in-power-money-or-altruism/
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Because I am of the opinion that everybody should try to understand and tolerate and love everybody.....regardless of upbringing and history......and try to have more unity.......Thats why I dont like this type of talk being mentioned.......Besides since Singapore already has its independence, actually I think there is a gradual convergence......Convergence......meaning the distance is getting smaller and everybody is getting closer.......so lets not create more distance.......
-
Originally posted by Veggie Bao:
Because I am of the opinion that everybody should try to understand and tolerate and love everybody.
But Lee Kuan Yew did not tolerate and destroyed chinese education and suppressed dialects in Singapore?
Made the alien english as dominant language so as to give himself and the peranakan elite the advantage in politics?
Lee Kuan Yew also played down all the history of the anti-colonial, anti-Japanese, anti-imperialist activities of the chinese in Singapore, since he himself was never part of that movement.
He is afraid of us. He is keeping a watch on us. His policies retards us.
We are the offensive power in Singapore and he is not one of us.
Lee Kuan Yew can never mobilise the chinese people of Singapore. That's why there is no substance in Singapore nationalism.
-
Anyways it is over.
Lee Kuan Yew is Lee Kuan Yew.
Lee Kuan Yew maybe will be......uhm.....in a few years.....never mind.....
It doesnt matter......what has happened has happened.....the clock cannot be turned back.....
But what is important is not to engage in factionalism or bashing some group of people, especially if it is related to their upbringing or history.
Anyways if you notice, there is a convergence.
Even the area of dissimilarities is not so fatal or fundamental.
You know Venn Diagram ?
It is like Venn Diagram.
So just be positive and optimistic and enjoy it.
Anyways as time pass and as generations pass, there will be more convergence.
So lets not mention this topic.
-
Originally posted by Veggie Bao:
Friend......
You must be so naive.......
They are just some ordinary electronics distributor.......
Just think and use your head......
Singapore is a global city and lots of imports-exports companies are trade firms are here......
These 4 people are just your average next-door neighbour electronics trader.....
The one who use their network is probably some Iranian agent or another proxy........
Why would they want to export banned arms materials to Iran purposely ? I dont even think they know or realize what exactly they are doing.
Those are electronics equipment.....maybe dual use.....means can be used for civilian usage as well as military usage.......and I think they are just wholesaler and distributor.......they wont know about some US arms ban......
The whole thing is making me angry.
The coverage in the media is so biased and one-sided.
In the first place, is this ban even legal ?
The ban is from USA. The USA government made it.
Because USA has a political problem with Iran, so they made all these bans and sanctions and blockades.
But not all of these measures have international support. Some are endorsed by UN, so it means all UN members are supposed to follow it, but also there are many measures put in place by USA ownself unilaterally as an extra.
If Im not wrong, this one is from USA unilaterally.
Friends,
Dont you remember last time there was an Australian jihadist (Caucasian boy) who got caught by US soldiers in Afganistan, and then he was put in trial and was about to be punished by jail or whatever by US government, and there was an uproar and a reaction from the Australian public and government. They defended the boy and asked him to be returned.
And that was in war theater, mind you, caught red handed, and those 2 countries are close relatives.
And now.....??
Compare to Singapore..??
For some unilateral blockade measure with dubious legality and morality, these 4 Singaporeans who are electronics distributors, are delivered as sacrificial lambs to satisfy a superpower country.
What makes me angry is that in Straits Times everytime this case is mentioned, they purposely insert the statement from American Ambassador to Singapore, patting and complimenting the Singapore action of delivering sacrificial lambs to satisfy American foreign policy agenda.
WTF ?!
Where is the nationalism ?
Dont you remember,
When the Romanian second-in-charge drove his car and killed some people, there was uproar, from the public and even the government, including Foreign Minister George Yeo who managed to push the case and even cleverly setup some meetings with his counterparts.
(I give him points for that)
But now...?
No voice....?
No defence ?
This one is even worse, because why should Singapore support US foreign policy of imperialism in the Middle East.
But fine.........I can still understand it...for political reasons....I understand Singapore is a small country who need the protection and patronage of a big country like USA....it's ok.....I follow LKY hard nosed no-nonsense approach.......But when the life, safety, wellbeing, and welfare of 4 people are in jeopardy......why is it that Singapore does not try to do something on their behalf ?
At least do something symbolically and make them stop the exports, maybe give them a fine.....or give the punishments here by Singapore local courts and then report it to the US counterpart.......
No action whatsoever to try to help them......
This whole thing is quite pathetic, my friends....
:(
Friend
1) the ban to Iran has been going on for sometime and is a well known.
2)They were fraudulently exporting radio equipment to Iran that subsequently ended up in roadside bombs in Iraq. They may well be electronic trader but all electronic traders should know the difference between electronic gadgets and sensitive radio equipment (and esp to a country Iran).
3) you think our court so short sighted as not to see the concrete evidence presented before him before sending them to the US?
-
The ban is well known ?
I dont think it is well known by them.....they are just some small fry electronics Ex-Im trader.......anyways maybe you are right, but I just doubt it.......
Even if it is true, and they know it, is it an international ban, or just an American ban ? I think it is an American ban and not a UN ban, so the American government should have punished their own companies and their own suppliers, how come they want to punish Singaporean distributors as well ?
Even if they want to punish Singaporean parties, how come there is no defence to them, so easily just obey and accept American perspective.
By the way, what is the punishment to the American suppliers ?
Because I have the feeling that the American suppliers and the Singaporean distributors are about the same........meaning they are just being naively used by the Iranian agent......what do they know.
The one who is the brain is the Iranian agent.....meaning the Iranian agent is the one who think and plan and figure out who to circumvent the ban.....then he just use the pathways and the networks....in this case the 4 Singaporean traders........
Then of course the American prosecutor want to catch all.......
-
1) Every Singapore exporters have the deal with our custom and our custom will specify to them the ban items (very specifically in detail) to import/export. http://www.customs.gov.sg/stgc/leftNav/ove/Legislation.htm
Even ppl like me not dealing with export can read about the ban on Iran in the papers and in the TV.
2) The ban is a UN ban but US is carrying out the judiary in accordance with the UN law.
3) How the US system works is that there are scaler systems of what are permitted to export and how much technology is allowed to export with regards to each of its friendly allies.
For example, Japan - high, Singapore - mid, China - low.The US can't prosecute the US exporter because Singapore is on its friendly list with the US exporter was most probably permitted to do so under the existing US-Singapore bilateral agreement law. (That is why our Ministers regularly visit the US to update on the bilateral agreements with them - what we can sell to them, what they can sell to us).
This explains why the sensitive radio equipment can be export to Singapore but not to some other countries. This explain why the US govt didn't touch the US co. The US co. did not break the US law with regards to US export agreement with Singapore.
-
I see.....
I dont understand how come they could export the electronic antennas if they are listed and specified as banned by Singaporean customs ?
Is that really the case ?
Means it is partly Singaporean customs fault ?
Also are you sure it is a UN ban...? Because it is not mentioned in any articles. I would think they would write it down if it is based on UN and international law. It is confusing to me because I have read there are different types of blockade measures by UN, EU, and US separately.
Also I dont understand why would the American company not punished in any ways, because they could be accused of lacking checks too, and in this same vein, it is the same with the 4 Singaporean traders, they are just middlemen who are being used by the Iranian agent.
Did the Iranian agent openly admit and declare himself, and say why he wanted to buy the antennas, where, how, and for whom ?
I would think he disguised himself, maybe he made an electronics company front and then he just said he wanted the antenna to make a TV relay equipment or whatever.
Still.......for this type of political power play (not a real crime but a political crime) I dont know why Singapore does not try to defend them while still satisfying the political objectives of stopping the exports. Or maybe strike a deal with American prosecutors and ask them not to impose a heavy punishment.
Just gladly hand them over....and in the closing paragraphs....always, the American Ambassador would say a few words.
How nice......