The US government is seeking civil forfeiture of a China-registered Gulfstream G550 after alleging the aircraft was re-exported to Iran without required authorisations and remained there for six days, beyond the 72-hour limit then permitted under a US Treasury general licence. The 2012 jet, registered to Deer Jet (Beijing) Co., Ltd. as B-8259, was seized in Anchorage, Alaska, in May 2026 and is in FBI custody in Virginia.
A complaint filed in late October alleges that the flight from Beijing to Tehran on 13 December 2024 required a licence from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security because the G550 was built in the United States. Prosecutors say no such licence was issued. They also allege that the aircraft’s stay until 19 December exceeded the limit under Office of Foreign Assets Control General License J-1, and that OFAC had not authorised a longer visit.
The government is pursuing forfeiture under the Export Control Reform Act. The case concerns alleged violations tied to the aircraft’s movement between two foreign countries, despite its registration in China. The complaint is a civil action, not a final court ruling, and contains no criminal charges. Deer Jet may contest the forfeiture; the filing does not identify the passengers or explain the purpose of the Tehran trip.