In Case You Missed It: Victor Restis and EST's "Crusade to Silence United Against Nuclear Iran"

In Case You Missed It: Victor Restis and EST's "Crusade to Silence United Against Nuclear Iran" UANI: We Will Not Be Silenced Restis refutes allegations By Aaron Kelley TradeWinds  February 11, 2014 Enterprises Shipping & Trading (EST) appears to be moving forward with a crusade to silence United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), an advocacy group that has accused the Greek shipowner and its chairman, Victor Restis, of engaging in illicit dealings with Iran. In a statement emailed to TradeWinds the Greek bulker and tanker operator said the allegations were untrue and called on Ambassador Mark Wallace, the Manhattan-based non-profit's chief executive, to abandon the its 'name and shame' campaign. EST admitted that two of its bulkers recently called on Iranian ports but claims the 92,700-dwt Helvetia One (built 2012) and 72,300-dwt Bergen Max (ex-Bunga Saga Tiga, built 1994) did not violate international sanctions because they were carrying humanitarian aid. ... "Mr. Wallace is very aware that the shipments were made under time charter parties with prominent trading entities which appear on UANI's own website as companies with permission from the US government to provide humanitarian aid to the Iranian people," the owner added. "His desperate and shameful attempts to defame EST without a single shred of evidence leave him and UANI fully exposed to further serious legal retributions," it continued before calling on Wallace to abandon what it described as a "personal campaign" against EST and Restis. The board seat The company acknowledged that it filed a defamation suit against UANI and its chief executive in an effort "to set the record straight" and admitted to trying to strike a settlement out of court before talks soured but denied that it offered to make a donation to the organisation. "Despite UANI's allegations, it is totally untrue that EST ever offered any donation to UANI or any payments to its CEO, Mr. Wallace," it said before noting it was, however, prepared to make "a contribution towards the substantial legal bills" that UANI incurred as a result of the lawsuit. EST admitted that it offered the former diplomat a seat on the board of affiliate Golden Energy but said the gesture was meant to demonstrate its "full support" of the group's mission by giving him an opportunity to learn about the tanker business and see it is not engaged in unlawful trading. "Mr Wallace was invited to join the board of directors of tanker managers Golden Energy Management on a pro-bono basis," the company continued in Monday's statement, adding: "EST never offered to pay Mr Wallace in any way for his services." Documents paint a different picture While the company claims it never offered to make a donation to UANI there is a clear reference to a $400,000 "donation" in at least two drafts of a tentative settlement agreement that one of the shipowner's attorneys emailed to Wallace and members of the organisation's legal team. Though EST claims it never violated sanctions it also told the non-profit it had instituted a compliance policy that prohibited the operator and its affiliates, including Golden Energy, from "doing any business in or with" Iran or "its agents and instrumentalities". UANI, which took this to mean the plaintiff had agreed to ensure its vessels would not call on Iran regardless of the cargo they were carrying, agreed on the initial terms of the settlement but walked away when it learned about the bulkers, which prompted the latest series of allegations. Documents obtained by TradeWinds indicate the group was also angered by a provision that would have required it to release a statement about an internal audit that found Restis and his associates had never violated sanctions since it was not permitted to review the findings. Family affair Both the Bergen Max and Helvetia One are classed by Bureau Veritas, which locked horns with UANI in 2012 before agreeing to "disengage completely from all marine activities related to Iran" shortly after it was targeted by one of the advocacy group's campaigns. The latter of the two vessels maintains protection-and-indemnity coverage with the American P&I Club (American Club) and the former did too until recently when its policy was transferred to the London P&I Club, according to the Equasis database. Restis served as a director of the American Club until 2006 but EST has managed to maintain its presence to this day as his older sister, Katia Restis, was elected to the board the same year her brother stepped down. Click here to view the article at TradeWindsNews.com. Click here to view statements by Mr. Restis denying any business with Iran. Click here for news accounts of Mr. Restis's arrest and criminal charges. ### 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 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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