Back on the Black Market
Tehran is pushing back against Bush administration efforts to crack down on Iranian agents who buy U.S. military equipment on the black market. In a development that angered and baffled American investigators, Hong Kong authorities recently freed, without explanation, an alleged Iranian operative named Yousef Boushvash, who is wanted by the United States for conspiring to obtain embargoed U.S. military-airplane parts. In a similar incident, Iran accused Britain of surrendering its sovereignty to U.S. intelligence agencies by preparing to extradite a former Iranian diplomat, Nosratollah Tajik, accused of trying to buy night-vision gear for Tehran.
Ever since military sales to Iran were frozen after the 1979 Iranian revolution, U.S. agencies have regularly cracked down on Iranian efforts to circumvent the embargo. British authorities arrested Tajik in November 2006; earlier this year U.K. courts ruled in favor of his extradition, which was authorized for early June but has been delayed due to Tajik's ill health.
More disturbing to U.S. officials, though, is the case of Boushvash. In an e-mail to a U.S. supplier, Boushvash claimed his customers operated a fleet of "about 200 light aircraft"; in reality, he allegedly was buying fighter-jet parts for shipment to Tehran. Last August, agents filed a complaint in Manhattan federal court seeking Boushvash's arrest, and he was picked up in Hong Kong during an undercover sting in October. An extradition hearing was scheduled for April 14, but according to a Justice Department letter obtained by NEWSWEEK, U.S. prosecutors were notified on April 10 that Hong Kong had canceled the extradition. Boushvash was released the next day. He disappeared and is now the subject of an Interpol arrest notice. U.S. officials, who asked for anonymity when discussing a continuing investigation, said they believe Tehran confirmed to Beijing that Boushvash was Iran's man, but complained he had been set up. Whatever the reason, Washington is furious at the Chinese government, blaming Beijing for ordering Hong Kong to cave to Tehran's wishes and free someone they very much wanted to meet face to face.
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Mark Hosenball joined Newsweek as an investigative correspondent in November 1993, covering a range of issues for the National Affairs department. Most recently, he has written and reported numerous stories on terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks on America. He has also covered campaign finance, the Monica Lewinsky controversy, the death of Princess Diana, Whitewater, the crashes of EgyptAir flight 990 and TWA flight 800, as well as related air safety issues.
Hosenball came to Newsweek from "Dateline NBC," where he worked as an investigative producer. He also worked extensively as a print journalist, writing for a number of British and American publications, including the London Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard, Time Out, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic. In addition, he has done commentaries for American Public Radio.
Hosenball has been honored with a number of prestigious awards. Most recently, along with a team of Newsweek correspondents, he was awarded the Overseas Press Club's most prestigious honor, the 2002 Ed Cunningham Memorial Award for best magazine reporting from abroad for Newsweek's coverage of the war on terror. His reporting and that of his colleagues earned Newsweek the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002 for its coverage of September 11 and its aftermath. And a story he co-authored was highlighted in a citation Newsweek received by the White House Correspondents' Association when it awarded the magazine the 2002 Edgar A. Poe Award for "excellence on a story of national or regional importance. "Newsweek's September 11 coverage started long before the attacks. An article in the magazine's February 19, 2001 issue warned with chilling accuracy: 'The threat posed by (Osama) bin Laden is growing -- and coming ever closer to home."
Hosenball was a contributor to the CANAL + TV documentary, "L'Argent de la Drogue" (Drug Money), which was awarded the "Sept D'Or," the French equivalent of an Emmy. He also contributed to NBC News' coverage of the BCCI scandal, which earned a 1991 Peabody Award.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Trinity College in Dublin. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and son.
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