🔶 U.S. prosecutors asked for a reduction in Reza Zarrab’s punishment U.S. federal prosecutors in the case of Reza Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian businessman, on Monday, July 6 (15 Tir), in a submission to the judge of the federal court in New York, asked for a reduction in his sentence. Zarrab had previously admitted that he helped the Islamic Republic of Iran bypass sanctions and gave several million dollars in bribes to certain government and banking officials in Turkey for transferring money to Iranian institutions and officials. The sentencing hearing for Zarrab will be held next week. The prosecutors told the judge that Zarrab, by disclosing this information and providing important and key testimony in court in December 2017, had shown significant cooperation with the United States, and that his admission of conspiracy, bank fraud, and money laundering, as well as his subsequent cooperation, was “truthful, complete, and reliable.” They emphasized that Zarrab faced “serious risks and threats” because of his cooperation with U.S. officials. Zarrab previously testified in 2017 in court that an armed prisoner with a knife attacked him in prison.