Following Blacklisting of Iran's Major Port Operator, UANI Urges Shipping Companies to End Business in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 23, 2011 Contact: Nathan Carleton, press@uani.com Phone: (212) 554-3296 Following Blacklisting of Iran's Major Port Operator, UANI Urges Shipping Companies to End Business in Iran New York, NY - Today, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) applauded the U.S. Treasury Department for blacklisting Tidewater Middle East Co. and Iran Air for their ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and their involvement in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. UANI repeated its call to companies around the world to stop doing business with Iran. In a statement, UANI President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace said: In designating Tidewater and Iran Air weapons proliferators, the U.S. Treasury Department has highlighted Iran's common tactic of exploiting shipping and cargo carriers. The regime has a long history of falsifying cargo declarations and deceiving other nations in order to illegally import nuclear technology and ship weapons to terrorist groups. These sanctions are more evidence that no responsible company should be doing business with Iran or Iranian government entities. Cargo companies which continue doing business in Iran with knowledge of the regime's illegal shipping and transportation policies are not 'victims' of false declarations, they are complicit in Iran's strategy. According to Tidewater's website, its major clients include many of the world's leading shipping companies such as: "IRISL, CMA-CGM, Evergreen Marine Corp, Ignazio Messina, K-Line, Maersk Line, Malaysia International Shipping Corporation, Mediterranean Shipping Company, NYK Lines, Pacific International Lines, Regional Container Line (RCL), United Arab Shipping Company, SimaTech, Yang Ming Line, Orient Overseas Container Lines, COSCO, Hanjin, China Shipping Container Line, TS-Line, Emirates United Arab Shipping Company, and WanHai." In July 2010, UANI first highlighted Tidewater's affiliation with the IRGC and called on the Danish shipping company Maersk to end its business in Iran, particularly because of its business ties to Tidewater. Click here to read UANI's Executive Research Report, "Iran's Exploitation of the Shipping Industry." ### United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran should concern every American and be unacceptable to the community of nations. Since 1979 the Iranian regime, most recently under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's leadership, has demonstrated increasingly threatening behavior and rhetoric toward the US and the West. Iran continues to defy the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations in their attempts to monitor its nuclear activities. A number of Arab states have warned that Iran's development of nuclear weapons poses a threat to Middle East stability and could provoke a regional nuclear arms race. In short, the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran is a danger to world peace. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons. UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons. The Objectives of United Against a Nuclear Iran Inform the public about the nature of the Iranian regime, including its desire and intent to possess nuclear weapons, as well as Iran's role as a state sponsor of global terrorism, and a major violator of human rights at home and abroad; Heighten awareness nationally and internationally about the danger that a nuclear armed Iran poses to the region and the world; Mobilize public support, utilize media outreach, and persuade our elected leaders to voice a robust and united American opposition to a nuclear Iran; Lay the groundwork for effective US policies in coordination with European and other allies; Persuade the regime in Tehran to desist from its quest for nuclear weapons, while striving not to punish the Iranian people, and; Promote efforts that focus on vigorous national and international, social, economic, political and diplomatic measures. UANI is led by an advisory board of outstanding national figures representing all sectors of our country.

Forward email American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran 45 Rockefeller Plaza New York NY 10111