UANI Responds to MTN CEO’s Irresponsible Position on Iran and Renews Call for MTN to End its Business in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2012
Contact: Nathan Carleton, [email protected]
Phone: (212) 554-3296

UANI Responds to MTN CEO's Irresponsible Position on Iran and Renews Call for MTN to End its Business in Iran

New York, NY -Today, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) renewed its call on investors, affiliated institutions and potential customers to cease all business with South African telecommunications firm MTN in response to MTN Group President and CEO Sifiso Dabengwa's callous remarks and irresponsible posture on MTN's partnership with sanctioned Iranian entities that are linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Dabengwa attempted to deflect criticism of MTN's partnership with the regime and stated, "What the [Iranian] government decides to do with that equipment is not in our hands. We cannot say who they listen to and when."

In letters to MTN dated January 25 and February 29, UANI informed Mr. Dabengwa that the Iranian regime, MTN's partner in MTN Irancell, which is the second largest mobile phone network operator in Iran, used the network to monitor and track Iranian dissidents and disrupt the communications of Iranian citizens protesting against the repressive regime.

In response to Mr. Dabengwa's claim that MTN is a "liberating force," "enriching the lives" of Iranians, UANI further informed Mr. Dabengwa that MTN's Iranian partners in MTN Irancell were in fact the Iran Electronics Industries (IEI), an entity sanctioned by the United States and European Union for proliferation activities, and the Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic Revolution, a "Bonyad" organization directly supervised by Iran's Supreme Leader that is closely linked to the radical IRGC, the key instrument used to suppress Iran's internal pro-democracy movement.

In response to Mr. Dabengwa's remarks today, UANI President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, issued the following statement:

The facts are clear: MTN is partners with sanctioned Iranian entities with direct links to the IRGC.  In response to our concerns regarding MTN's Iran business, MTN and Mr. Dabengwa have engaged in a new level of rhetorical parsing.  First MTN and Mr. Dabengwa said "respect for human rights is reflected in the way we do business and we expect all our partners to adhere to these fundamental principles." And now Mr. Dabengwa's states that: "What the [Iranian] government decides to do with that equipment is not in our hands. We cannot say who they listen to and when." MTN's business practices and Mr. Dabengwa's statement are cynical and lack the sincerity of an investable business.   

If MTN does not respect its own stated corporate values, it should at the very least, respect the will of the international community, which is working to isolate the Iranian regime in response to its gross human rights violations, support of global terrorism and pursuit of an illegal nuclear weapons program. Investors and affiliated institutions should immediately divest themselves from MTN until MTN ceases its complicity with the Iranian regime. 

As part of its Tech and Telecom campaign, UANI has targeted telecommunications providers that are active in Iran. In December, the Chinese firm Huawei scaled back its business in Iran under pressure from UANI.

Click here to read UANI's February 29 letter to MTN
Click here to read UANI's January 25 letter to MTN
Click here and here to see UANI's MTN advertisements
Click here to send a message to MTN

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