比利时军火商承认非法向伊朗销售武器

An alleged¹ Belgian arms dealer² has pleaded guilty to conspiring³ to illegally export jet engines and parts from the US to Iran, officials say.

官员称，一名比利时军火商承认阴谋非法从美国向伊朗出售喷气式发动机和零部件。

Officials say Jacques Monsieur planned to export parts for F-5 fighter jets

The suspect, Jacques Monsieur, now faces a maximum prison sentence of six years and a $250,000 (£150,000) fine.

Mr Monsieur, a resident of France, was arrested in August in New York.

Court documents say he is an experienced arms dealer（军火商） who was actively⁴ seeking weapons for the government of Iran.

After his arrest Mr Monsieur was charged with violating the arms control act, smuggling⁵（走私）, money-laundering（洗钱） and conspiracy⁶.

Some of the charges can carry maximum sentences of 20 years in jail.

Officials said a sting operation（突击行动） revealed that he was trying to buy engines and other parts for F-5 fighter jets.

They alleged the defendant⁷ had wired $110,000 (£68,000) to a bank account in Alabama in July as payment for jet parts and had promised another $300,000 as down payment（订金，头期款） for two engines.

The parts could have been used as replacements⁸ in the aging military jets sold to Iran by the US before the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Under a trade embargo⁹（贸易禁运）, the items cannot be exported to Iran without a license¹⁰ from the US government.

A co-defendant in the case, Iranian Dara Fotouhi, remains¹¹ on the run（逃跑，忙碌）.