Lawmakers Ask Administration to Probe Whether China’s iRay Is Violating US Sanctions
House Select Committee on China ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., urged the Trump administration March 31 to investigate whether China’s Yantai iRay Technology Co. Ltd. is evading U.S. sanctions by selling its thermal imaging products in the U.S. through subsidiaries and other affiliated entities.
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In a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the lawmakers said that even though the U.S. sanctioned iRay in May 2024 for supplying Russia with telescopic thermal sights and military thermal imagers controlled by the Bureau of Industry and Security (see 2405010072), the company continues to distribute its products in the U.S. through iRayUSA, InfiRay Outdoor, Visir Inc. (brand name RIX Optics), and Inlumen Technologies (brand name Nocpix). They said iRayUSA’s contention that its manufacturing partner is separate from iRay is false.
“It is highly concerning that iRay, a company sanctioned for supporting Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine, appears to still be peddling its products in the United States through a shell game of U.S.-based subsidiaries," Krishnamoorthi said.
Krishnamoorthi and Auchincloss are also concerned that iRay may have access to data from U.S. users of its targeting technology. Such access "could allow China’s military to dominate these capabilities at U.S. expense," Krishnamoorthi said.
The lawmakers asked the Treasury and Commerce departments to brief them on the company by April 11. Treasury, Commerce and iRay didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.