In Case You Missed It: "US Activists Pressure Renault-Nissan to Leave Iran"

In Case You Missed It: "US Activists Pressure Renault-Nissan to leave Iran" Agence France-Presse April 5, 2012 A US activist group on Wednesday urged French automaker Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan to pull their business out of Iran because of its suspected program to develop nuclear weapons. In an open letter to Carlos Ghosn, the Renault-Nissan Alliance's chief executive officer, the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) said, "Renault's business dealings in Iran directly support the Iranian regime's ability to develop its illegal nuclear weapons program, support its terrorist proxies and pursue a brutal campaign of repression against the Iranian people." While other industry groups left Iran to avoid supporting the current regime, Renault has doubled its production in Iran from about 50,000 vehicles in 2010 to 93,578 in 2011, according to UANI. The group's letter was signed by former US ambassador to the United Nations Mark Wallace, who also is president of UANI. The UANI letter said it was "disturbing" that Nissan was getting a contract valued at about $1 billion to manufacture a new fleet of New York City taxis while the automaker continues to do business in Iran. "New York taxpayer dollars should not benefit a corporation, like Nissan, that partners with a regime that is the world's number one state sponsor of terror and has formed an alliance with al-Qaeda," UANI said. Last week, UANI confronted another French automaker, PSA Peugeot, about its business dealings with Iran. The activist group said General Motors' investment in PSA Peugeot Citroen under a new cooperation agreement should be investigated by Congress to see whether it violates US sanctions on Iran, because of Peugeot's strong market position in the country. Click here to read UANI's full letter to Nissan and Renault. Click here to send a message to Nissan and Renault. ### 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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