UANI

Rio Tinto has interests in two uranium mines. One of these is Rössing in Namibia, in which it owns a 69 per cent interest. Rössing is one of the largest open pit uranium mines in the world. The mine currently produces about 7.55 per cent of the world's uranium. Rio Tinto states that Rössing operates “uranium under strict safeguard practices where there is never a diversion of nuclear material from commercial nuclear power stations to nuclear weapons.” (Rio Tinto Group, “Uranium”)

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"Rio Tinto Group, the world’s third- largest mining company, said Iran can maintain a 15 percent stake in its Rossing uranium operation after a United Nations ruling barred the country from investing in mines of the fuel... 'It is shameful that Rio Tinto would attempt to defend any business with Iran,' Kimmie Lipscomb, a spokeswoman for New York-based non-profit group United Against Nuclear Iran, said today. 'How can Rio Tinto claim that by conducting business with Iran in a uranium mining venture, it is not contributing to Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons?'... Mark D. Wallace, president of UANI and a former U.S. ambassador to the UN, wrote to Rio Chairman Jan du Plessis last week, saying Iran’s stake appeared to be a violation of U.S. law. He requested a response by Nov. 2. 'Profits from the Rossing uranium mine are channeled directly to the Iranian government, emboldening and financially empowering its pursuit of an illegal nuclear weapons program,' Wallace wrote in the letter dated Oct. 21. 'It is time for Rio Tinto and Rossing to recognize this threat as well and follow the lead of other responsible companies and stop putting short- term profits ahead of Iran’s clear threat to global security.'"(Bloomberg, "Rio Tinto Says Iran is Allowed to Keep 15% Stake in Namibian Uraniaum Mine," 10/27/2010)

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Since 1975 under the rule of the Shah, the government of Iran has held a 15 percent share in Rossing. In 2005, according to Graham Davidson, the general manager for operations at Rossing, “Representatives of the government of Iran routinely attend the Rossing board of directors meetings.” Davidson further added that milled uranium oxide (“yellowcake”) for centrifuges is not sold to Iran. The company, however, did not respond to a question of whether Tehran had purchased any Rossing uranium in the past. (Reuters, “Iran Has Stake in Namibia Uranium Mine, Says Owner,” 1/29/05)

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The Namibian government reports that Rossing is under pressure from Western countries to not sell uranium to Iran. Prime Minister Nahas Angula “could not say whether Namibia was supplying Iran with uranium but revealed that government viewed Iran as one of its customers who have contracts to buy uranium mined from the country.” (APA, “Namibia under pressure not to supply uranium to Iran,” 2/3/09)

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Rio Tinto disclosed in its 2008 Annual Report Form that it had “signed a final and binding sale agreement to divest the whole of its [70 percent] interest in the Sari Gunay gold project in western Iran. On the completion of this transaction, which is expected in mid 2008, Rio Tinto intends to close its office in Iran and will cease to have any interests in Iran.” Rio Tinto’s filings make no disclosure on Iran’s interest in the Rössing uranium mine. (Rio Tinto 2008 Annual Report Form)

“The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission looked into BHP Billiton Ltd.'s (BHP.AU) activities in Iran and Cuba due to Washington's labelling of the countries as state sponsors of terrorism, according to documents filed with the regulator. In a document filed June 15, the world's largest miner said that it had earned US$361 million in revenues from Iran in the four years to the end of June 2009 and expected to make a further US$74 million from the country in the most recent financial year.” (FOX Business, "BHP Billiton's Iran, Cuba Activities Subject of SEC Inquiry," Aug. 8, 2010) 

"WorleyParsons also announced today it would increase its investment in its Chinese business, MaisonWorleyParsons, to 80 per cent. But it said it would not take up any more contracts in Iran. ‘'It will complete existing contracts, subject to ensuring it does not breach any sanctions,’' WorleyParsons said." (The Sydney Morning Herald, "WorleyParsons profit stumbles admit project delays," 8/25/2010)

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“Australian engineering house WorleyParsons has signed an agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to review a front-end engineering and design job left behind by departing French giant Total for Iran’s South Pars (SP) Phase 11 gas project.

The three-month job, which involves reassessment of the FEED by Total before it withdrew from the project last year, is at least the second for Worley-Parsons in Iran in 2010. It also coincides with an escalating campaign by the US to isolate the country…. China is aggressively pursuing energy development in Iran, where Western oil companies are reluctant to get involved amid the threat of possible United Nations sanctions against its nuclear enrichment program.

At the turn of this year, WorleyParsons teamed up with Linde of Germany to carry out a FEED for China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s (CNOOC’s) planned liquefied natural gas plant at the North Pars gas project. Both WorleyParsons and Linde worked in Iran before the intensification of Western sanctions against the country in the second half of the decade.” (Upstream, “New Player Set to Review Iran's South Pars 11 FEED,” 5/9/2010)

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 “Iran LNG Company (Iran LNG) has lined up two consortia to contend for a EUR700 million contract to construct the liquefaction units at the center of the twin-train 10.5 million tons per year Iran LNG export scheme. The two consortia were: Pars International Development and Engineering Company (PIDECO) and WorleyParsons Limited; Farab Company and Hua Fu Engineering Company (HFEC).” (Energy Business Review, “Iran LNG Lines Up Two Consortia For EUR700 Million Contract To Construct Liquefaction Units,” 5/12/09)

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“Iran Offshore Engineering & Construction (IOEC) has awarded a sub-contract to Australia's Worley Parsons for the detailed design of elements of the platforms on phase 12 development of the giant South Pars gas field. 
It follows IOEC winning a $ 380 mm contract late last year to construct the top part of the platforms on the offshore rigs, known as topsides.

Houston gas specialist Intec, which was recently acquired by Worley Parsons, previously won an engineering contract for three undersea pipelines totaling 440 km for phase 12. Earlier this year Petropars, a subsidiary of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and the developer of South Pars, awarded a $ 284 mm engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to the local Aras consortium for phase 12. 
NIOC expects to award two further EPC deals, to a local and foreign consortium respectively, in May.

Most of the gas produced from South Pars phase 12 will be used to feed NIOC's planned Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant. 
However, part of the output will also be pumped into the domestic gas network for use in petrochemical projects and reinjection to maintain pressure on oil fields.” (Alexander's Gas and Oil Connections, “Iran awards South Pars design deal to Worley Parsons ,” 4/22/08)

Environmental Systems & Services (ES&S) is an "advanced technology company, specialising in solutions in environmental and allied fields such as meteorology, hydrology, seismology, oceanography, air quality, and geotechnical engineering" (Company Website). It describes itself as the "largest Australian company" to specialize in these fields, and is an instrument supplier to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology as well as several other government bureaus throughout South Asia and Oceania (Company Website).

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ES&S lists Iran as a country in which it has representatives, and lists three separate Iranian companies that act as distributors for its products to be sold in Iran (Company Website). 

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ES&S describes itself as possessing "extensive representation arrangements with manufacturers from USA" and maintains a San Diego office (Company Website). 

"Such tunneling conferences, held regularly in Tehran, draw global manufacturers of tunnel-boring machines — giant devices as big as locomotives that dig quickly through rocky strata. Terratec, an Australian maker, noted early last year that Iran had recently become 'one of the most active markets in the world.'" (The New York Times, "Iran Shielding Its Nuclear Efforts in a Maze of Tunnels," 1/6/09)

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"TERRATEC will for the first time be exhibiting at the 8th Iranian Tunnelling Conference, an international forum on latest technologies in the construction of tunnels and underground spaces. The conference will be held in Tehran, Iran from May 18th to May 20th, 2009.

TERRATEC aims to take a proactive role in the conference by exchange of knowledge and information on how to develop underground spaces with environmental considerations.

Iran has become recently one of the most active markets in the world in terms of tunnelling and mining development, and TERRATEC endeavours to provide Iranian Customers with our expertise and technology developed in Australia and already exported to many other countries worldwide.

We would like to invite those attending the conference to visit us at our booth. We look forward to meeting you there." (Company Website, "TERRATEC at 8th Iranian Tunnelling Conference," 2/18/09)

On LNG. Ltd.'s company website, they have a page dedicated to their Iran natural gas project, the "Qeshm LNG Project" (see further details here).

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A United States Congressional Research Services Report states that in November 2006, LNG. Ltd. signed a pending/preliminary agreement with Iran to develop its Salkh and Southern Gashku fields. The proposal also calls for the construction of an LNG plant. (Congressional Research Service, "Iran Sanctions Act," July 23, 2008)

Listed by U.S. Government as doing business in Iran. (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, List of Companies Doing Business With State Sponsors Of Terror, Removed from the Internet in July 2007)

Listed by U.S. Government as doing business in Iran. (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, List of Companies Doing Business With State Sponsors Of Terror, Removed from the Internet in July 2007)