UANI Calls on Pedro Duarte Neves, other International Banking Regulators to Take Action to End SWIFT’s Relationships with Iranian Banks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2012 Contact: Nathan Carleton, press@uani.com Phone: (212) 554-3296 UANI Calls on Pedro Duarte Neves, other International Banking Regulators to Take Action to End SWIFT's Relationships with Iranian Banks New York, NY -On Wednesday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on Banco de Portugal's Pedro Duarte Neves and other international banking regulators to take action that would put SWIFT in compliance with EU and U.S. banking laws. UANI has been in consultations this month with international banking regulatory officials including Mr. Neves, who serves on the Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority. Recently, Mr. Neves informed UANI that he does not plan to take action against SWIFT, because he "does not have regulatory or supervisory powers over [SWIFT]." Mr. Neves also argued that his bank "does not have a special relationship with SWIFT beyond that typical of Eurosystem central bank ..." Said UANI President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace: Mr. Neves and his colleagues in the European banking community must take action to put SWIFT in compliance with Iran sanctions laws. International regulators have a responsibility to enforce laws and curtail illegal activity, and they should take that responsibility seriously. Every day that SWIFT continues to allow Iran's banks and institutions access to the SWIFT network is a day that the Iranian regime is able to continue exploiting the international financial system to fund terrorism and pursue nuclear weapons. International banking regulators need to do what it takes to end SWIFT's indefensible relationships with those institutions. UANI wrote to Mr. Neves on February 1, calling on him to "take immediate action to ensure SWIFT's compliance with applicable U.S. and EU sanctions law and to ensure that SWIFT complies with its own rules related to corporate governance and membership eligibility." UANI launched its SWIFT campaign on January 30, submitting a detailed legal explanation to SWIFT explaining how it violates U.S. and EU sanctions--as well as its own bylaws--by providing sanctioned Iranian banks with BICs and access to the SWIFT system. That week, members of the U.S. Senate drafted and introduced an amendment that would sanction SWIFT. SWIFT, after initially defending its work with Iran, subsequently pledged to "find the right multilateral legal framework which will enable SWIFT to address the issues." In addition to Mr. Neves, the following international banking regulators received letters from UANI on February 1, along with a copy of UANI's original letter to SWIFT: Christian Noyer: Governor, Chairman of the General Council, Banque De France Anne Le Lorier: First Deputy Governor, Banque De France Dr. Jens Weidmann: President, Deutsche Bundesbank Sabine Lautenschlager: Deputy President, Deutsche Bundesbank Ignazio Visco: Governor, Banca D'Italia Fabrizio Saccomanni: Director General, Banca D'Italia Giovanni Carosio: Deputy Director General, Banca D'Italia Masaaki Shirakawa: Governor, Bank of Japan Hirohide Yamaguchi: Deputy Governor, Bank of Japan Klass Knot: President, De Nederlandsche Bank J.F. van Duyne: Chairman, De Nederlandsche Bank Stefan Ingves: Chairman of the Executive Board and Governor, the Riksbank Kerstin af Jochnick: First Deputy Governor, the Riksbank Hansueli Raggenbass: President of the Bank Council, Swiss National Bank Thomas J. Jordan: Vice Chairman of the Governing Board, Swiss National Bank Sir Mervyn King: Governor, Bank of England Charles Bean: Deputy Governor, Monetary Policy, Bank of England Christine Lagarde: Managing Director, International Monetary Fund David Lipton: First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund Angel Gurria: Secretary-General, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Pier Carlo Padoan: Deputy Secretary-General and Chief of Staff, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Jamie Caruana: General Manager, Bank for International Settlements Herve Hannoun: Deputy General Manager, Bank for International Settlements Andrea Enria: Chairperson, European Banking Authority Helmut Ettl: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Austria Mathias Dewatripont: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Belgium Rumen Simeonov: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Bulgaria Costas S. Poullis: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Cyprus David Rozumek: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Czech Republic Ulrik Nodgaard: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Denmark Raul Malmstein: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Estonia Jukka Vesala: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Finland Daniele Nouy: Board Member, European Banking Authority, France Raimund Roseler: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Germany Ioannis Gousios: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Greece Karoly Szasz: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Hungary Matthew Elderfield: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Ireland Giovanni Carosio: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Italy Kristaps Zakulis: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Latvia Vytautas Valvonis: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Lithuania Claude Simon: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Luxembourg Andre Camilleri: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Malta Jan Sijbrand: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Netherlands Andrzej Reich: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Poland Nicolae Cinteza: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Romania Vladimir Dvoracek: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Slovakia Stanislava Zadravec Caprirolo: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Slovenia Francisco Javier-Ariztegui Yanez: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Spain Martin Andersson: Board Member, European Banking Authority, Sweden Hector Sants: Board Member, European Banking Authority, UK Mark J. Carney: Governor, Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem: Senior Deputy Governor, Bank of Canada Ben S. Bernanke: Chairman, United States Federal Reserve Janet Y. Yellen: Vice Chair, United States Federal Reserve Martin J. Gruenberg: Chairman and Vice Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Thomas J. Curry: Director, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation John Walsh: Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Richard Cordray: Director, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Elizabeth A. Duke: Board Member, United States Federal Reserve Daniel K. Tarullo: Board Member, United States Federal Reserve Sarah Bloom Raskin: Board Member, United States Federal Reserve Click here to read UANI's letter to Mr. Neves and other international banking regulators. Click here to read UANI's full letter to SWIFT. Click here to send a message to SWIFT. ### 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.

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