Germany / Germany-Iran / EIH 2010
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Friday, March 29, 2024

                       STOP THE BOMB protests against the EIH Terror Bank

Links: 

STOP THE BOMB press release September 9, 2010

STOP THE BOMB press release on the EIH, September 20, 2010

STOP THE BOMB protests against the EIH February 2011

 

German government protects terror bank

STOP THE BOMB September 9, 2010

The Hamburg-based Europäisch-Iranische Handelsbank (EIH) has been blacklisted for sanctions in the U.S. as the American Treasury Department reported yesterday.

Previous news reports suggest that Germany did protect the Iranian-owned bank before the EU sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran were issued on July 26th.[1] The New York Times reported on a phone call by U.S. President Obama to German chancellor Merkel, who refused to sanction the EIH.[2]

According to U.S. Treasury Department official Stuart Levey, EIH is responsible for support in the Iranian nuclear program.[3]

„We urge chancellor Merkel to ban EIH. Germany has to get active regarding Iran sanctions. The claim of the German government to prevent Iran from getting nuclear, while intensively sustaining trade relations with Iran, is just lip service“, said Michael Spaney, spokesman for the STOP THE BOMB coalition against nuclear armament of Iran.

German trade volume with Iran increased extensively in the first months of 2010 despite sanctions.[4]

Until today the European Union has yet failed to determine precise regulations enforcing the imposed sanctions.

BAFA, the export control authority of the German Economy Ministry said in a phone call that a date for the commencement of EU sanctions hasn't been set yet. There is either the day of their announcement, July 26th, 2010 or the not yet defined date when the regulations of the sanctions will be issued by the EU.

Therefore STOP THE BOMB demands from the German government and all EU-heads of government to set the enactment date of EU sanctions to July 26th and not on the coming date of the regulating order.

Similar to the case of EIH, Stuart Levey from US-Treasury put several German companies on his sanctions list.[5] Mainly the Dusseldorf based Ascotec and IFIC as well as some subsidiaries of them are subject to the US ban. It is not known if the German authorities have started to investigate the involvement of these companies in Iran's nuclear weapons program

IFIC also holds 4, 5 % of Germany's steel giant ThyssenKrupp which has considerable exports to the now sanctioned Iranian energy sector.[6]

A vast amount of German engineering exports to Iran is still not affected by the current EU sanctions. To exert decisive pressure on Iran a ban on these businesses is necessary says the STOP THE BOMB campaign.



Rally for the immediate closure of the European-Iranian Trade Bank (EIH) in Hamburg, Germany

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010,  10.30 am - 12:00 am

Depenau 2, 20095 Hamburg 

A day before Iranian president Ahmadinejad will make a speech at a disarmament committee of the UN, the STOP THE BOMB campaign holds a rally against the continuing transactions between the Hamburg-based Europäisch-Iranische Handelsbank (EIH) and the Islamic Republic of Iran. While at the beginning of September the US treasury has put EIH on the sanctions list, the German government still refuses to do so. STOP THE BOMB calls for the immediate closure of the EIH bank, which is owned by the Iranian regime and registered as a German institute. The rally will be held on Thursday September 22nd 2010 at 10:30 am in front of the EIH building in Hamburg.

The rally is also a protest against Ahmadinejad's appearances during UN's 65th session  in New York. On September 8th the Hamburg-based Europäisch-Iranische Handelsbank (EIH) has been blacklisted for sanctions by the  American Treasury Department.

Previous news reports suggest that Germany did protect the Iranian bank before the EU sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran were issued on July 26th. The New York Times reported on a phone call by U.S. President Obama to German chancellor Merkel, who refused to sanction the EIH. [2] According to U.S. Treasury Department official Stuart Levey, EIH has supported the Iranian nuclear weapons program. [3]

„We urge chancellor Merkel to ban EIH. Germany has to get active regarding Iran sanctions. The claim of the German government to prevent Iran from getting nuclear, while intensively sustaining trade relations with Iran, is just lip service albeit the forthcoming EU sanctions“, said Michael Spaney, spokesman for the STOP THE BOMB coalition against a nuclear Iran.

German trade volume with Iran increased by 14 %y in the first months of 2010 despite the sanctions. [4] Similar to the case of EIH, Stuart Levey from US-Treasury put several German companies on his sanctions list. [5] Mainly the Duesseldorf based Ascotec and IFIC as well as some subsidiaries of them are subject to the US ban. It is not known if the German authorities have started to investigate the involvement of these companies in Iran's nuclear weapons program. IFIC also holds 4, 5 % of Germany's steel giant ThyssenKrupp which has considerable exports to the now sanctioned Iranian energy sector. [6]

A vast amount of German engineering exports to Iran is still not effected by the current EU sanctions. To exert decisive pressure on Iran a ban on these businesses is necessary says the STOP THE BOMB campaign.



Media on EIH

Jerusalem Post - Benjamin Weinthal: Israeli ambassador says Germans may close Iranian EIH bank (11.11.2010)

Die Welt - Matthias Küntzel: Berlin muss Treiben deutsch-iranischer Bank beenden (September 28, 2010)

DADG - Wahied Wahdat-Hagh: Eine Bank für alle Fälle (September 27, 2010)

Jerusalem Post - Stop the Bomb protests Iranian ‘terror bank’ (September 24, 2010)