UANI Applauds German Crane Company Gottwald for Ending Business in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2013 
Contact: Nathan Carleton, [email protected] 
Phone: (212) 554-3296

UANI Applauds German Crane Company Gottwald for Ending Business in Iran

New York, NY -On Thursday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) applauded Germany's Gottwald Port Technology, and its parent company Demag Cranes AG, for ending business in Iran.

Last month, UANI publicly called on Gottwald to end its services in Iran, including the sale of mobile harbour cranes and other cranes used in ports and terminals.

The Terex Corporation, which owns a majority interest in Demag, disclosed in its latest 10-K annual report form to the SEC that Demag had in 2012 "exported from Germany overhead crane components and spare parts to three entities in Iran."

Following UANI's call, Demag Cranes contacted UANI, and stated that it has "implemented a company policy prohibiting all business transactions in Iran whether permitted by law or not." Continued Demag: "This prohibition extends to the both the [sic] sale of equipment and parts as well as servicing of GPT [Gottwald] equipment in Iran."

Demag went on to state that it and Gottwald would not "have any future revenues from sales or business in Iran with the current Iranian regime in place." Further, Gottwald stated that it "has reformatted its website so that the Abu Dhabi dealer no longer appears when Iran is selected."

Said UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace:

We applaud Gottwald, Demag, and Terex for ending their business in Iran.  Given Iran's international isolation, no reputable company can continue to do business there.

We also applaud the U.S. government for taking action last year to require companies to reveal certain Iran business in their SEC filings. That policy led Terex to disclose this particular activity, and helped bring it to the public's attention. When companies are forced to disclose their Iran business, it is the first step to their exit from Iran because the reputational risk of continuing is too great.

UANI's Germany Campaign highlights the extensive Iran business activities of German businesses, firms, and entities. German businesses are bolstering the Iranian economy and expanding Iranian industrial capacity at a time when the international community is working to economically isolate the Iranian regime.

UANI's Cranes Campaign highlights the Iranian regime's record of conducting public executions by crane. Since the campaign was launched in 2011, prominent crane manufacturers Palfinger, Terex, Liebherr, Tadano, Konecranes, and UNIC have ended their business in Iran.

Click here to read UANI's full April letter to Gottwald.
Click here to learn more about UANI's Germany Campaign.
Click here to learn more about UANI's Cranes Campaign.
Click here to learn more about UANI's Shipping Campaign.

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