DOJ charges two men in connection to Iran drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan

The Justice Department (DOJ) on Monday announced that it had charged two men in connection with a fatal Iranian drone strike in Jordan, which killed three U.S. service members earlier this year and wounded dozens more.

The Defense Department identified the three Americans in January as Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23; Sgt. William Rivers, 46; and Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24. The three members were part of the 718th Engineer Company and were stationed at the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan.

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said the two men, including a dual Iranian-American citizen, were arrested on charges that they exported sensitive technology to Iran, which was used in the strike. One of the men was arrested in Italy and the DOJ is seeking his extradition to Massachusetts, according to the Associated Press.

“We often cite hypothetical risk when we talk about the dangers of American technology getting into dangerous hands,” U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy of Massachusetts said. “Unfortunately, in this situation, we are not speculating.”

The suspects have been identified as Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi and Mohammad Abedininajafabad. Sadeghi allegedly works at a Massachusetts-based semiconductor company, and conspired with Abedininajafabad to circumvent American export control laws. 

Abedininajafabad also has alleged ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, prosecutors claimed. Both men have been charged with export control violations, but Abedininajafabad also faces charges that he conspired to provide material support to Iran.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.