San Francisco, Apr 29 (IANS): Three Iranian-American businessmen were arrested on charges of allegedly selling auto parts to Tehran by violating US trade sanctions against the Islamic Republic, according to authorities.

Sadr Emad-Vaez, Pouran Aazad and Hassan Ali Moshir-Fatemi, who are naturalized US citizens from Iran, allegedly used "elaborate systems of international wire transfers" to provide funds for smuggling auto parts into Tehran, which has been under US trade sanctions for years, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The San Francisco Bay Area-based businessmen, who are listed as executives for a Tehran-based manufacturing operation, were accused of being engaged in transactions involving the illegal export of goods and services to Iran, according to the US Attorney's Office of the Northern California District.

They were also indicted for playing a role in financial transactions designed to evade the Iranian Transactions Sanctions Regulations, which bans US citizens from exporting or selling any goods, technology, or services to Iran without a license of the American government.

If convicted of all offences, the three men could face in total a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and $1,250,000 in fine.