UANI Applauds Maserati, Lamborghini for Ending Business Activities in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 10, 2013 Contact: Nathan Carleton, press@uani.com  Phone: (212) 554-3296 UANI Applauds Maserati, Lamborghini for Ending Business Activities in Iran Following NYC Protest, Automakers Confirm Pull Out from Iranian Market New York, NY - On Thursday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) applauded both Maserati and Lamborghini for ending their business activities in Iran. UANI will also now list Maserati's parent company, Fiat, as having fully pulled out of Iran. Last October, UANI, New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, and Iran180 held a press conference in front of Maserati's Manhattan showroom, and called on both companies to put an end to their import agreements with Iranian entities and close any dealerships or showrooms in Iran. Following that event, UANI and the Public Advocate's office entered into discussions with both Lamborghini and Maserati. In those discussions, Lamborghini stated that it and its subsidiaries have put an end to "any interest, negotiations or established relationships regarding operations of any type in Iran." Separately, Maserati and Fiat executives pledged that Maserati has "ended [its] discussions with a potential vehicle importer and distributor" in Iran, the Arta Group. Maserati stated that it had, at the request of UANI and the Public Advocate, "threatened legal action" against that group to stop using its name. Maserati also stated that it has "successfully worked with Facebook to disable an Arta Group site which falsely suggested a Maserati presence in Iran." UANI has updated its Auto Campaign and Luxury Goods Campaign webpages to reflect these developments. Said UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace: We are satisfied with the pledges we have received from both Lamborghini and Maserati, and we applaud both for their responsible action. Given Maserati's commitment, we are now able to list Fiat as having fully ended its business in Iran. We are pleased to bring our Fiat campaign to a successful end. This campaign proved once again that when a company is forced to choose between the Iranian market and the U.S. market, it will leave Iran. We will continue to work with the Public Advocate, to pressure more and more businesses to pull out of Iran and continue isolating the Iranian regime Said de Blasio: This is one more step in the right direction in a crucial campaign to hit the Iranian regime at its economic core. Maserati and Lamborghini have done the right thing in pulling their business from Iran - and I am pleased we can remove them from Iranwatchlist.com. This is also a strong message to New Yorkers and Americans: we as consumers can help fight against a nuclear Iran, and I plan to continue this fight relentlessly, with as many allies as we can assemble. Said Iran180 Executive Director, Chris DeVito: We are pleased that Maserati has taken proactive steps to ensure that its vehicles, and its brand, are no longer appearing in car showrooms in Tehran. While we applaud this step forward, it's important that we don't lose sight of the fact that several large automobile manufacturers continue to conduct business in the country. We will continue to work with the Public Advocate and United Against Nuclear Iran until every major international auto maker realizes that doing business that benefits the Iranian regime is a dead end. UANI's campaign against Fiat began in 2011, and included advertisements in New York newspapers [see additional ad here], and a protest at the New York International Auto Show. UANI also ran a public campaign in 2012 regarding entertainer Jennifer Lopez's endorsements of Fiat, and produced an online video, "J.Lo's 'My World' Fiat Commercial: Parody," that generated more than 60,000 YouTube hits. In May 2012, Fiat announced that it would end certain business in Iran, including the sale of Iveco trucks that have been used by the Iranian military. UANI applauded Fiat, but called on it to take additional action, specifically regarding reports of a Maserati showroom in Tehran. Maserati, Lamborghini, and Fiat join Hyundai, Porsche, and Kia in pulling out of Iran in the past year. In May 2012, Ambassador Wallace testified about Iran's automotive industry before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. UANI has developed model legislation, the DRIVE Act, to require auto manufacturers to choose between American taxpayers and the regime. The DRIVE Act mandates automakers to certify they are not engaged in any business in Iran, or the implementation of any agreement with Iranian entities in order to be eligible for U.S. government contracts or financial assistance. Click here to visit UANI's Auto Campaign page. Click here to visit IranWatchList.com. Click here to read UANI's DRIVE Act legislation. ### 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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