A Chinese man accused of conspiring to export devices to Iran that can be used in nuclear production is held without bail after making an initial appearance in court.

Sihai Cheng attended a brief hearing Monday and agreed to be detained until his arraignment on Friday.

Cheng is accused of conspiracy, illegal exporting of U.S. goods to Iran and smuggling. He arrived in Boston on Friday after being arrested in Britain earlier this year.

A 2013 indictment accuses Cheng of establishing shell companies in China to receive pressure-measuring sensors known as ``pressure transducers'' from the Shanghai subsidiary of Andover-based MKS Instruments Inc.

The instruments have commercial applications, but also can be used in gas centrifuges to convert natural uranium into a form that can be used in nuclear weapons.

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