Israel Matzav

Germans selling tunneling equipment and other 'dual use' equipment to Iran

On Sunday, I published the results of a poll that indicated that most Iranians would gladly trade their country's nuclear program for relief from sanctions. And yet, the sanctions continue, Iranians are more squeezed and the nuclear program continues. Why? Aside from the fact that Iranians cannot overthrow their government without outside help (which was denied to them by President Hussein Obama in 2009), the fact remains that the most important sanctions - the ones that would hit the nuclear program itself and not just Iran's purchasing power - continue to be violated by countries around the world. Take, for instance, Germany, which is selling tunneling equipment(!) to Iran.

The Jerusalem Post has obtained an uncensored list from late 2011, showing hundreds of German and Iranian enterprises in a flourishing trade relationship.

This is despite Iran’s construction of Fordow, a medium-level uranium enrichment facility buried into the side of a mountain near Qom, and the fact that the German equipment could be used to build more underground nuclear facilities.

Some businesses have asked that their names be removed from the list to avoid damage to their reputations.

One company named is Baden-Württemberg-based engineering giant Herrenknecht AG, which appears to be delivering heavy tunneling equipment to Iran – some of which is promoted as having the capability of “drilling down to depths of 6,000 meters.”

In response to Post inquiries, an unidentified representative of the company wrote via email on Friday that it has “comprehensively ensured that Herrenknecht excavation engineering and services solely reach projects which clearly pursue civil applications [metro tunnel construction, sewage pipes and water supply lines].”

After such projects are completed, it cannot be determined if Iran intends to or already has used the equipment for its nuclear facilities.

Read the whole thing.

Labels: German-Iranian trade, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear program

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:18 PM