A material part is supported, but the published wording goes beyond the record.
A Reuters report in March 2022 said ZTE pleaded guilty in 2017 to illegally shipping US technology to Iran and North Korea.
illegally shipping US technology to Iran and North Korea
- About
- ZTE Corporation
- Claim made by
- Reuters, press report
- Published
- 23 March 2022
- Evidence score
- 88 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
The Justice Department release and the plea agreement show that ZTE pleaded to conspiring to violate the IEEPA, to obstruction of justice and to false statementsS1S6. The conduct in the plea concerns Iran and the Iranian sanctions rules. Neither the release nor the plea agreement mentions North KoreaS1S6. The North Korea shipments appear in the separate Commerce settlement. The April 2018 Commerce order says ZTE admitted illegally shipping telecommunications equipment to North Korea in violation of the Export Administration RegulationsS7. That was an administrative settlement, not a criminal plea. The Iran part of the claim is supported. The North Korea conduct is on the record, but the claim places it in the guilty plea, which goes beyond the criminal record.
Current procedural position
Guilty plea agreed on 7 March 2017 in the Northern District of TexasS1S6. Five-year probation allowed to end by a US judge in a ruling reported on 23 March 2022S3. Final.
Record supporting the assessment
ZTE Corporation has agreed to enter a guilty plea and to pay a $430,488,798 penalty to the U.S.
one count of knowingly and willfully conspiring to violate the IEEPA
Combined Penalty of $1.19 Billion with Department of Commerce and Department of Treasury Actions
illegally shipping telecommunications equipment to North Korea in violation of the Export Administration Regulations
Conflicting or limiting record
illegally shipping US technology to Iran and North Korea
Evidence score: 88 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of ZTE Corporation. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 27 | 30 | A Justice Department release is a competent record of the charges and plea. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 16 | 20 | The records state the Iran plea and the separate North Korea admission directly. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 13 | 15 | The plea agreement, the DOJ release and the Commerce order agree on what each resolution covered. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 14 | 15 | The plea was entered and the probation has ended. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 9 | 10 | Checked against the 2022 probation ruling and 2025 reporting. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 9 | 10 | The release is public on justice.gov. |
| Total | 88 | 100 |
Timeline
Related cases
- United States v. ZTE CorporationUS District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. Criminal. 3:17-CR-0120-K, as read from a scanned plea agreement caption with partly illegible characters.Stage: Guilty plea entered. Five-year probation ended after a ruling reported on 23 March 2022.
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Partly supported.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S1Tier A ZTE Corporation Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay Over $430.4 Million for Violating U.S. Sanctions by Sending U.S.-Origin Items to IranUS Department of Justice. Regulator press release. 7 March 2017.Supports the plea, the three counts, the Iran conduct and the combined US$1.19 billion penalty. It does not mention North Korea or give a docket number.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S7Tier A Order Activating Suspended Denial Order Relating to Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd.US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security. Regulator order. April 2018.Recites the 2017 settlement, including ZTE's admission of North Korea shipments, and the false statements on discipline. The day of issue is illegible in the copy read and is taken from S2 and S8.
- S3Tier C US judge rules in favour of China’s ZTE, ending probationReuters, republished by Al Jazeera. Press report. 23 March 2022.Reuters report on the end of probation and the judge's comments. No individual byline is shown and the court order was not read.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S6Tier A Plea Agreement, United States of America v. ZTE CorporationUS Department of Justice. Plea agreement. 7 March 2017.Gives the court, the case number and the three counts. It cites the Iranian sanctions rules and does not mention North Korea. The scanned caption is partly illegible.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
Other claims about ZTE Corporation
- Contradicted86ZTE told the US government it had disciplined the employees responsible for its earlier export violations.Regulator statement, 13 July 20185 records citedSanctions
- Supported73Reuters reported in March 2022 that a US judge ruled ZTE should be allowed to end its five-year probation from the 2017 plea.Press report, 23 March 20223 records citedCorporate status
- Unresolved49Reuters reported in December 2025 that ZTE may pay more than US$1 billion to resolve US foreign bribery allegations.Press report, 11 December 20253 records citedBribery