NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leaders of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) issued a strong warning to Finnish companies pursuing potential business deals in Iran ahead of an upcoming official visit by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and a delegation of Finnish business leaders to Tehran October 25-26. One of the main businesses in the delegation, Cargotec, has seen its equipment used to facilitate hangings of Iranian citizens in recent years.
“The Finnish delegation’s interest in strengthening ties with Iran represents a step in the wrong direction, as a myriad of risks continues to plague the country’s business environment,” said Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, Chief Executive Officer of UANI. “These companies are not only rewarding the regime’s continuous belligerent behavior by offering their business; they are jeopardizing themselves, their employees, and their reputations—and face the prospect of dealing with front companies controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization.”
UANI has alerted Cargotec, a Finnish manufacturer and major U.S. defense contractor, multiple times over the misappropriation of its cranes for human rights violations. There have been at least two documented cases where Cargotec cranes have been used in public executions of Iranian citizens: on June 20, 2013, a prisoner was publicly executed with a “Lajvar” brand construction crane—Lajvar has been Cargotec’s Iranian distributor—and on November 9, 2015, Iranian authorities hanged a prisoner named “A.S.” in Khoy using Cargotec’s Hiab-branded crane.
“It is deeply concerning that Cargotec continues to pursue further business ties in Iran, knowing that its machines have been grossly misused before. Fostering business ties with Iran at this time will only embolden and empower the terror-sponsoring regime in Tehran and work to undermine President Niinistö’s own policy of eradicating terrorism,” said former U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Chairman of UANI.
Other members of the Finnish delegation to Tehran include: KONE, Nokia, Outotec, and Wartsila—Finnish companies that UANI has contacted this year alerting them to the many risks inherent in the Iranian economy such as arrest and imprisonment of company employees and contractors, sponsorship of terrorism, and money laundering.
Led by a group of former leading diplomats and lawmakers, UANI is in the midst of a global education campaign focused on the corporate risks of doing business with Iran, warning hundreds of international companies that are contemplating Iran as a new investment opportunity. As part of its campaign to highlight the dangers of business with the Iranian regime, UANI has identified a matrix of 10 key risk categories businesses and sovereign states face should they pursue deals with Tehran.
For more information, or to speak with UANI leadership, please contact: press@uani.com
