German companies at the Teheran trade fair „Iran Oil Show“ - Participation fee must be paid to sanctioned Iranian bank

STOP THE BOMB Press Release, April 19, 2012

Currently the four-day trade show „Iran Oil Show 2012 – 17. International Oil, Gas, Refining, and Petrochemical Exhibition“ is taking place in Teheran. Numerous German companies are participating; presenting their technology for the sanctioned Iranian energy sector. [1]

Key technology for Iran's energy sector is sanctioned since July 2010. The non-governmental organization STOP THE BOMB calls on the responsible authorities in Germany to actively look into the business deals of these companies.

Through participation at the exhibition, companies cooperate with the Iranian regime and with sanctioned companies. The exhibition is organized by the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum. The participating companies must pay the stand fees to an account of Iran's Bank Mellat, which is sanctioned by the EU and the USA. [2] An extract from the EU legislation regarding Bank Mellat from October, 2011 says: “The conduct of Bank Mellat fosters and relieves Iran's nuclear program and Iran's program for ballistic missiles.“ [3] Also, Iranian companies such as Khatam Ol Anbia, which belongs to the sanctioned Revolutionary Guards, uses the exhibition to cultivate business contacts.

Among the German companies that have confirmed their participation at the Iran Oil Show to STOP THE BOMB are Bopp & Reuther, Helmke, Hova and Schauenburg. The companies Herrenknecht and Pepperl + Fuchs are also present at the Iran Oil Show, according to exhibition's homepage. [4]

The range of products of the German companies include all kinds of products for the energy sector, including pumps, pipes and construction machines and specialized measuring instruments.

In April 2011, STOP THE BOMB had compiled a list of German companies which took part at the Iran Oil Show in Teheran last year. [5]

Deals in the Iranian energy sector support the Iranian regime. The German companies that are active in this sector are therefore responsible for the fact that the regime can go on with its policy of human rights violations, its nuclear program and the export of terror against the will of the Iranian people and in spite of massive protests against the regime. Revenues from the energy sector made up nearly 50% of the state budget and 80% of the export income in 2009/2010. [6] The biggest part of the Iranian energy sector is state owned. [7] Business partners in Iran are mostly companies connected to the economic empire of the Revolutionary Guards, who run the majority of the projects in the energy sector. [8] The Revolutionary Guards are on the US terror list and since July 2010 also on the EU sanctions list. 

[1] http://www.iranoilshow.org/wwwen/index.aspx
[2] http://www.iranoilshow.org/wwwen/about_us.aspx
[3] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:281:FULL:DE:PDF (S. 67.)
[4] http://www.iranoilshow.org/wwwen/hall_view.aspx
[5] http://de.stopthebomb.net/en/d-iran/iran-oil-show-2011.html
[6] Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Annual Review 1388 (2009 / 2010), S. 15 u. 18. (http://www.cbi.ir/page/7575.aspx)
[7] List of companies that are subordinate to the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum: http://www.iranoilgas.com/companies/whoiswho
[8] RAND Coorporation, The Rise of the Pasdaran, 2009, S. 59ff. http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG821.pdf

Press Release: German Companies are Undermining EU Sanctions against Iran's Energy Sector

Berlin, April 13, 2011

In Tehran starts the „Iran Oil Show 2011“  on Saturday, April 16. The Oil Show is an industry exhibition for companies that are active in the energy sector. A high number of German companies will participate, presenting their technology for the sanctioned Iranian energy sector.[1] The campaign “STOP THE BOMB – No Deals with the Iranian Regime!” condemns the participation of the German companies. Those companies are strongly suspected to violate EU sanctions. STOP THE BOMB calls on the responsible authorities to actively investigate against these companies. STOP THE BOMB has compiled and analyzed a list of the represented German companies.[2]

The range of products of the German companies include all kinds of products for the energy sector, including pumps, pipes and construction machines and specialized measuring instruments. Exporting these products to Iran violates the letter and spirit of the EU sanctions.[3] With the Iran Oil Show the Iranian regime promotes business in the Iranian energy sector, and it exploits the growing participation of European companies for its propaganda.[4]

Deals in the Iranian energy sector support the Iranian regime. The German companies that are active in this sector are therefore responsible for the fact that the regime can go on with its policy of human rights violations, its nuclear program and the export of terror against the will of the Iranian people and in spite of massive protests against the regime. Revenues from the energy sector made up nearly 50% of the state budget and 80% of the export income in 2009/2010.[5] The biggest part of the Iranian energy sector is state owned.[6] Business partners in Iran are mostly companies connected to the economic empire of the Revolutionary Guards, who run the majority of the projects in the energy sector.[7] The Revolutionary Guards are on the US terror list and since July 2010 also on the EU sanctions list.

"The results of the German Iran policy are disastrous. Despite EU sanctions, Germany is the most important Western business partner of Iran, with an annual export volume of 3.8 billion Euros. Only China has more companies participating at the Iran Oil Show. Furthermore, the German government refuses to shut down the EIH bank. The bank is essential for the financing of Germany's Iran business. There are no serious efforts to put effective pressure on the Iranian regime”, says STOP THE BOMB spokesperson Jonathan Weckerle.[8]

Prof. Gert Weisskirchen, foreign policy spokesperson for the SPD in the Bundestag from 1999 till 2009, comments: „Whoever circumvents the EU sanctions not only violates international law. By supporting an oppressive regime against the will of the EU, one also threatens the hopes of many young people in Iran for democracy.”

[1] http://www.iranoilshow.com/

[2] http://de.stopthebomb.net/en/d-iran/iran-oil-show-2011.html#c2001

[3] The energy sector is at the same time the Achilles’ heel of the regime, this is why this sector is in the center of the international sanction efforts. Additionally to UN sanctions the US, the EU, Canada, South Korea and Japan have issued sanctions against deals that benefit the Iranian energy sector. See an overview of the international sanctions: www.iranenergyproject.org/topics/1/sanctions

[4] http://www.irxp.com/news/217/

[5] Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Annual Review 1388 (2009 / 2010), p. 15 and 18. (http://www.cbi.ir/page/7575.aspx)

[6] List of companies belonging to the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum: http://www.iranoilgas.com/companies/whoiswho/

[7] RAND Corporation, The Rise of the Pasdaran, 2009, p. 59 ff. (http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG821.pdf)

[8] The Wall Street Journal reported on April 4, 2011, that the German government still refuses to take action against the European-Iranian Trade Bank (EIH), which facilitates the bulk of the German and a big part of the international Iran business. Transactions via the Tehran dependence of the EIH cannot be controlled by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), and the claimed supervision of the deals via the EIH can be circumvented.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703841904576256711528931504.html?mod=googlenews_wsj. See also: http://de.stopthebomb.net/en/d-iran/eih.html

German Companies at Iran's Oil Show 2011

You can find a list of the companies that are particpating at the Iran Oil Show 2011 here: http://www.iranoilshow.com/exhibitors.html.