Chinese businessman denies Iran nuclear link

The Chinese businessman implicated in the alleged transfer of missile and nuclear technology to Iran claimed Wednesday that his products were not intended for military use. Speaking to the Financial Times, Li Fangwei said his company, LIMMT Economic and Trade, sells “common products” to Iran and other countries. He added that his company’s contact with Iran had been limited following a censure from Chinese authorities in 2003 and 2006 and the US government freezing some of the company’s offshore assets in 2006. On Tuesday, a Manhattan district attorney indicted LIMMT and Li on 118 counts, including suspicion of shipping 15,000 kg of specialized aluminum alloy usable in missile production. Li said he had no idea why prosecuters were targeting him and suggested they were acting on false intelligence. He also questioned whether the US had the authority to indict him.