TEHRAN – The Trump administration detained Bahram Mohammad Ostovari, a 66-year-old Iranian-born and lawful resident of the United States, at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday.

Ostovari faces a four-count federal indictment, including one count of conspiracy and three counts of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

The Trump administration’s Justice Department is pushing to imprison this senior citizen for up to 20 years over ambiguous allegations tied to business dealings with Iran.

Washington’s indictment claims Ostovari, who allegedly holds residences in Santa Monica, California, and Tehran, “orchestrated a scheme” from May 2018 through July 2025, procuring and exporting items like advanced computer processors and railway equipment.

Ostovari pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles, where a federal magistrate judge ordered him released on $1.3 million bond and scheduled a September 2 trial date.

The case is being jointly investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

Ostovari’s arrest comes amidst what critics describe as a sweeping escalation of anti-Iranian policies by U.S. authorities.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly detained hundreds of Iranian nationals nationwide.

Human rights advocates and critics have denounced the recent actions as racially motivated profiling driven by Iranophobia.

In Los Angeles, ICE agents reportedly stormed the homes of Iranian migrants, including congregants of Pastor Ara Torosian’s Farsi-speaking church.

Reuters witnesses described officers pinning a woman to the ground during her arrest, triggering a violent panic attack. “She’s sick! Call 911!” Torosian shouted, later demanding, “Why are you guys doing this?”

ICE Director Todd Lyons has defended these tactics as “targeted enforcement” against nationals of “high-risk countries, including Iran.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has condemned these practices as “humiliating” and vowed that Tehran would “exhaust all measures” to protect its citizens abroad. He said Tehran has directed Iranian diplomatic missions worldwide to assist detainees and deportees.

The aggressive enforcement actions underscore a broader shift in government policy.

The recent U.S. travel ban, issued by President Trump via a Presidential Proclamation on June 4, bars Iranian nationals alongside citizens of eleven other countries.

Tehran denounced the policy as driven by a “supremacist and racist mentality” that singles out Muslims and Iranians for collective suspicion.

Critics have warned that conflating ordinary Iranian Americans with national security threats only deepens prejudice and undermines due process.