Briefing: Huawei shared web domain with Iran sanctions-buster
What happened: Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei shared a web domain with Skycom, the company US prosecutors say bypassed Iran sanctions and acted as the phone company’s “unofficial subsidiary.” According to public records, the contact email for Skycom’s website–which was registered after the company was sold off by Huawei–is domain@huawei.com. In addition, the contact person is reportedly a Huawei corporate lawyer, while a provided phone number is based in a Huawei building in Shenzhen.
Why it’s important: The discoveries may reinforce a crucial point in US prosecutors’ case against Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s CFO and daughter of its founder. Meng was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1 and currently awaits extradition to the US, though she has been released on bail. American prosecutors say Meng purposefully led financial institutions to believe that Huawei and Skycom were separate entities, when in fact they colluded to circumvent Iran sanctions. The high-profile arrest that followed has shaken global stock markets, highlighting the uncertainty in the current tech and trade standoff between the US and China.