UANI Statement on the 3rd Annual Europe-Iran Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2016 
Contact: [email protected]

UANI Statement on the 3rd Annual Europe-Iran Forum

UANI Leadership Present at Zurich Conference to Highlight Serious Business Risks as Counter-Narrative to an Imbalanced Program

New York, NY - United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) released a statement today at the start of the 3rd annual Europe-Iran Forum, being held in Zurich, Switzerland. The following statement is attributable to UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace and UANI Chairman Senator Joseph I. Lieberman:

A gathering of international business executives assembles in Zurich today for the 3rd annual Europe-Iran Forum (EIF), which professes to help attendees, “define and implement your ideal Iran strategy.”  It is alarming to see a two-day event blindly promoting business opportunities and investments in Iran without any acknowledgement of the severe risks or discussion of Iran’s troubling and belligerent behavior.

Iran is, and remains, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.  From ballistic missile tests and shows of force, to political and financial support of terrorist regimes around the world, Iran has made it clear to the world that the JCPOA has yielded no real change or transformation in Tehran.

The Europe-Iran Forum, and other summits like it, do a disservice to global businesses by portraying Iran as a hospitable, ripe investment opportunity.  The EIF chooses to ignore the real risks, instead choosing to stack its programming with overtly positive messaging.  It is also concerning that the EIF’s lead partners are Bank Pasargad and the Iran Mines and Mining Industry Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO)—Iranian entities whose property remains blocked in the United States.

It is for these reasons that UANI has elected to send a small delegation to attend the conference, led by former Italian Foreign Minister, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, and Italian Ambassador to the United States Giulio Terzi, a member of UANI’s Advisory Board.  Minister Terzi and the UANI team in Zurich will be attending the conference to raise awareness of the inherent risks of pursuing business in Iran.  It is our hope that Minister Terzi’s presence will launch more equitable, substantive dialogue among conference attendees, and offer sorely needed transparency during an otherwise imbalanced forum.

We implore all speakers and attendees at the EIF to employ caution during this week’s event, as the risks to your business and your own employees are too grave to be overlooked.

UANI has sent letters to BHB Emissary, the organizer of this event, as well as the sponsors of the conference, outlining its concerns about the unbalanced nature of the agenda.  See here for a letter that was sent to Dentons Europe LLP, a “knowledge partner” at the EIF.

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About UANI

UANI is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan, advocacy group founded in 2008 by Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former CIA Director Jim Woolsey, and Middle East Expert Ambassador Dennis Ross, that seeks to heighten awareness of the danger the Iranian regime poses to the world.