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UANI Roundup
News and Updates from United Against Nuclear Iran
BUSINESS RISK
UANI Chairman Senator Joseph I. Lieberman discussed
the resumption of sanctions on Iran's oil industry on November 5
with Bloomberg television. "I think the deal with
the Obama administration along with our allies in Europe was a bad
deal for us. We gave too much away and got too little in return. All
of that changed as a result of President Trump, including the
sanctions that were back on Iran this week. Estimates are that
sanctions will cut Iranian oil exports by 1 million barrels a day.
That's a real body blow to Iran."
Adopting
Enhanced Due Diligence, KYCC Compliance Standards Would Protect
Businesses & Help U.S. Sanctions Succeed
On November 29, following the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions and
action by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial
Telecommunication (SWIFT) to disconnect Iranian banks from its
financial messaging system, UANI called for more to be done through a
"maximum pressure" campaign in order to change Iran's
behavior. Today, no reputable company will risk violating U.S. and
international sanctions, and every company is certain to apply the
best practices of Due Diligence (DD) and Know-Your-Customer (KYC).
However, in order for a maximum pressure campaign to succeed, a
broader conceptual shift in how the business community thinks about
Iran is needed, one that deploys at a minimum Enhanced Due Diligence
(EDD) and Know-Your-Customer's-Customer (KYCC) practices.
"Right now, a U.S. company can conduct business with any company
in the world as long as it's not sanctioned. However, sometimes
European and Asian firms have partners or suppliers who have done
business with Iran. Applying a higher standard of due diligence known
as Know-Your-Customer's-Customer would reduce the number of companies
undermining U.S. sanctions and provide greater protection from
materials or money ending up in Iranian hands," said UANI
Chairman Senator Joseph I. Lieberman.
"A broad shift in how the business world frames
Iran as a market, together with enhanced due diligence and Know-Your-Customer's-Customer,
will enable American firms to help plug the gaps in Iranian sanctions
enforcement," said UANI CEO Mark D. Wallace. "For all of
us, keeping an eye on the margins of Iran's ties to the business
community is crucial because every violation of U.S. sanctions chips
away at their strength, encourages more bad behavior, and supports
the regime in Tehran."
Beijing-based Huawei Technologies Co.'s chief
financial officer, Meng "Cathy" Wanzhou, was arrested on
December 1 for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions by doing business
in Iran through Hong Kong-based Skycom Tech. According to the Chinese
government, Huawei has operated in Iran since 1999, and provides
network services, consulting, and/or equipment to Iranian telecommunications
companies and defense
contractors supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. In
2015, Huawei - the world's largest telecommunications company and
second largest smartphone maker - reported that Iran was its largest
foreign market.
Since 2016, UANI has reached out to Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei on three
separate occasions detailing how the Iranian business community is
awash with terrorist front companies, its banks are a conduit for
terror financing, and its leaders are dependent on foreign capital to
support everything from human rights abuses to the development of
advanced ballistic missiles. Every effort by UANI to persuade Mr. Ren
of these risks and the attendant increased scrutiny on Huawei has
gone unheeded. Now his colleague and daughter, CFO Meng Wanzhou,
faces extradition by Canadian authorities to the U.S. and a
potentially lengthy stretch in jail.
"The arrest of a senior Huawei official for allegedly shipping
products of U.S.-origin to Iran and other countries in violation of
U.S. export and sanctions laws should cause all American retailers to
review and cancel their agreements with the company to stock and sell
their products," said UANI CEO Mark D. Wallace. "It is
entirely inappropriate for American companies, especially those with
government contracts, to maintain ties to a business that supports
the Iranian regime."
TERRORISM AND REGIONAL
MEDDLING
On December 4, as peace negotiations were beginning in
Sweden between the internationally recognized government of Yemen and
the Iranian-supported Houthis,
UANI released updated resources on Iran's attempt to dominate the
Middle East through an extensive strategy of providing manpower,
materiel, and money to proxies and subversive groups across the
region.
UANI's resource includes an interactive map, enabling viewers to
graphically follow and quickly find country reports detailing Iran's
strategy for dominance and attempts to undermine legitimate
governments in Afghanistan,
Bahrain, Iraq,
Kuwait,
and Saudi Arabia. The resource includes
reports on Iranian proxies operating throughout the region, including
Asaib
Ahl al-Haq, Badr
Organization, the Houthis, and Kata'ib
Hezbollah. Since its founding in 1979, Iran has aggressively
sought to "export" its Islamic Revolution. Iran's quest for
regional dominance has caused instability throughout the Middle East,
enflaming sectarian divisions and triggering devastating wars that
have left hundreds of thousands dead.
Iran
Admits 'Significant' Medium-Range Ballistic Missile Test
On December 10, Iran confirmed it had carried out a recent ballistic
missile test, after denying it earlier in the month. Jordan Steckler,
a research analyst at United Against Nuclear Iran told
The National: "At a time when the EU has continuously
struggled to create a mechanism for continued European trade and
investment with Iran, the ballistic missile tests, as well as Iran's
stepped-up campaign of assassinations and terrorist plots on European
soil, show that Tehran has no intentions of moderating its
behavior."
UANI OP-EDS, BLOGS, AND
ANALYSIS
UANI President David Ibsen, writing in Euractiv,
discusses shortsighted proposals advanced by some EU policymakers
since the U.S. decision to leave the Iran nuclear deal.
"European political resentment over the failure of the JCPOA
will eventually fade - but the costs and the stigma for businesses
and commercial entities working with the brutal Iranian regime may
not."
Op-Ed:
The EU's Problematic Iran Strategy
UANI Advisory Board Member and former Italian Foreign Minister Giulio
Terzi writes in U.S. News & World Report that France's
decision to impose sanctions in response to Iranian terror threats is
a step in the right direction and should be applied throughout the
EU, which has "yet to take actual, concrete steps toward exerting
comprehensive pressure on Iran's Islamist regime."
Op-Ed:
One Good Reason Not to Fly Alitalia, Austrian or Lufthansa: Hezbollah
Writing in the Times of Israel, UANI Coordinator Bob
Feferman notes that Lufthansa, Alitalia, and Austrian Airlines all
have direct flights to the Islamic Republic. "In light of
dangerous developments involving Iran and its loyal proxy Hezbollah,
I urge readers to think twice before booking their next flight on one
of these airlines."
Iranian
Military Business Bravado is All Bluster
UANI analysts Daniel Roth and Jordan Steckler discuss Iran's claims
of producing a new fighter jet and other public relations tricks
designed to create the image of a dynamic, powerful Iran.
"Perhaps the most consequential lie of all is the one that some
members of the global community continue to tell themselves: that
Iran can be trusted as a responsible custodian of a nuclear energy
program. Iran's frequently exposed efforts to conceal the extent of
weaponization work carried out under its illicit nuclear program are
often brushed under the carpet."
Hezbollah
Tunnels and Israel's Operation Northern Shield
Writing about the discovery of tunnels dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon
into Israel, UANI Outreach Coordinator Bob Feferman observed:
"The context for these events can be found in Iran's dangerous
regional ambitions. Over the past several years, Iran has been
working to create a land bridge from Tehran to the Mediterranean. To
achieve that goal, Iran seeks to dominate three Arab countries: Iraq,
Lebanon and Syria."
Why
Did Lebanon's Security Chief Praise Terrorism During a Counter-Terror
Speech?
The Jerusalem Post reported that Lebanon's Maj.-Gen Abbas Ibrahim
praised terrorism during an anti-terror conference attended by
representatives of the Middle East and Africa. Ibrahim reportedly
praised Hezbollah's "resistance" and distinguished its
terrorism from other forms of terror. "David Daoud, a Research
Analyst on Hezbollah and Lebanon at United Against Nuclear Iran
(UANI) tweeted about the incident, noting the irony that in offering
Lebanon's 'counterterrorism expertise,' the security chief was also
praising Hezbollah."
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