WASHINGTON (AP) – A convicted British smuggler has been charged with illegally attempting to ship an experimental aircraft and electrical equipment to Iran, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday.

The five-count indictment accuses Ali Asghar Manzarpour, 43, of exporting the single-engine Berkut Model 360 plane, filters, coil strip metal and electrical parts from the United States to Iran between 2000 and 2004. Trade with Iran – either direct or indirect – is prohibited without obtaining proper U.S. licenses or permission.

Manzarpour, of Brighton, England, was sentenced in 1998 to nine months in a British prison for illegally trying to ship 110 pounds of a super-strength steel to Iran. The steel can be used to make ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons.

Manzarpour was arrested Feb. 17 in Warsaw, Poland, and is awaiting extradition to the United States. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Washington.

Authorities discovered the plane last year in England, en route to Iran, and ordered it to be returned to the United States. On four other occasions, between 2000 and 2001, Manzarpour allegedly shipped electrical parts and other equipment to Iran through Austria, according to the indictment.

The indictment also states that Manzarpour admitted “extensive knowledge” of the U.S. export embargo against Iran in a 1996 interview with British customs officials.

If convicted, Manzarpour faces up to 50 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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On the Net:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov

AP-ES-02-25-05 1828EST