Three men, including an Iranian-born chemical engineer living in Glendale, have been charged in a scheme to smuggle sophisticated industrial components into Iran that could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, authorities said Wednesday.

The case has drawn interest at the highest levels of government, an official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The Times. The charges come as the U.S. is rallying allies to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Authorities allege that the men were attempting to smuggle high-grade vacuum pumps and other items into Iran in violation of federal trade laws and U.S. sanctions against the country. Investigators’ suspicions were heightened by the great lengths to which the defendants went to hide their alleged activities.

“These were educated men,” said Louis Rodi, a top supervisor in the Los Angeles ICE office. “These individuals knew what they were doing.”

According to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Jiraiir Avanessian, 56, of Glendale was paid several hundred thousand dollars to ship “high dollar vacuum pumps and pump related” equipment to Iran.