Shocking Admission from Huawei Boss: China Secretly Aided Iran
A shocking statement has come from a top Huawei executive. Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou has admitted that the Chinese telecommunications company engaged in business activities related to Iran that violated United States (US) sanctions rules. The admission can now be used by US prosecutors as evidence in Huawei’s trial.
US District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn, in a ruling filed on Tuesday, stated that Meng’s admission is admissible as evidence in the criminal case against Huawei. The admission stems from a legal agreement Meng made in 2021 to halt criminal charges against herself.
In a four-page statement of facts, Meng admitted to providing false information to a financial institution regarding Huawei’s compliance with sanctions and export control rules. “Meng was and remains the CFO of Huawei Tech,” Donnelly wrote in her ruling, as quoted by Reuters on Thursday (18/6/2026).
“Huawei Tech should not be able to disavow its senior executive’s admissions about her actions taken in connection with her employment, which were also adopted by Huawei Tech, on the ground that it violates the company’s rights,” she added.
Judge Donnelly also rejected Huawei’s argument that prosecutors cannot use Meng’s admission as evidence against the company. According to Huawei, the company has the right to remain silent even though Meng made the statement. Additionally, the judge ruled that no direct examination of Meng is required at the upcoming trial.
To date, a Huawei spokesperson has not responded to requests for comment on the ruling.
The case originated from allegations that Huawei misled international banks about its business activities in Iran. In 2018, Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Vancouver, Canada, on a warrant from the US. The arrest triggered diplomatic tensions between the US and China, as well as between China and Canada.
US prosecutors accused Meng and Huawei of bank fraud by providing misleading information to HSBC and several other banks regarding the company’s business ties with Iran. Meng subsequently spent nearly three years under house arrest in a luxury home in Canada while fighting extradition efforts to the US.
In September 2021, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Meng reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the US government. She was allowed to attend proceedings virtually from Vancouver before returning to China, where she received a hero’s welcome. The agreement stipulated that the criminal charges against Meng would be dismissed at a later stage if certain conditions were met.
Shortly after Meng was released, the Chinese government also freed two Canadians who had been detained. In addition, two American brothers who had been barred from leaving China were finally allowed to return home.