Iran Exporting Trial Begins for North Charleston Man

Opening statements were made Monday in the case against a North Charleston man accused of illegally exporting goods to Iran.

Markos Baghdasarian, the president of Delfin Group USA, was arrested May 19 at the Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, just prior to boarding an international flight to the United Arab Emirates. 

Baghdasarian was charged with exporting goods from the United States to Iran without the required U.S. Department of the Treasury licenses and with making false statements on official government documents. The Department of Justice is pursuing the case.

The Post and Courier's Natalie Caula was in the courtroom on Monday. She reports that Baghdasarian is expected to testify later this week. His attorney, Bart Daniel, defended his client and said he did his "due diligence" before shipping products overseas.

Read more of the Post and Courier report.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, Baghdasarian served as president of Delfin Group USA, which is a Russian-owned producer of synthetic motor oils, located in North Charleston.

In 2008, the company announced a $55-million expansion in the area.

From as early as June 13, 2010, until Oct. 12, 2011,  Baghdasarian is alleged to have engaged in prohibited transactions with customers in Iran, including Pars Oil, which is an oil company owned by the government of Iran.

U.S. persons and companies are prohibited from engaging in commercial transactions involving Iran unless authorized by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Read more on the complaint.