Huawei heads to trial in US over alleged business dealings in Iran

Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest telecom equipment maker, is heading to trial in Brooklyn federal court on September 8, 2026, facing a sweeping indictment that alleges the company used a shell entity to conduct business in Iran in violation of US sanctions. The case, which covers alleged conduct spanning from 1999 to 2020, represents one of the most significant corporate criminal prosecutions to emerge from the long-running US-China technology standoff. The timing is hard to ignore. The trial is set to unfold just as US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are meeting, turning an already high-stakes courtroom drama into a potential flashpoint for bilateral relations. What Huawei is accused of At the core of the government’s case is Skycom, a Hong Kong-based entity that prosecutors say functioned as a front company for Huawei’s operations in Iran. According to the indictment, Skycom routed over $100 million in transactions through US banks, effectively using the American financial system to facilitate business that sanctions were designed to prevent. The allegations don’t stop at sanctions evasion. Prosecutors say Skycom helped supply embargoed equipment w...