UANI Welcomes Report Of EU Officials Withdrawing From Europe-Iran Business Forum

(New York, N.Y.) – United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace released the following joint statement today after four ambassadors from EU-member states—Austria, France, Germany, and Italy—reportedly canceled their participation in today’s Europe-Iran Business Forum (“EIF”), designed to induce foreign firms to invest in the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Ten days ago, UANI appealed to these ambassadors to the Islamic Republic, urging their full withdrawal from the EIF.

"UANI is pleased that European officials have (again) thought twice about participating in an event that strengthens the hand of the same regime that executes innocent civilians, arbitrarily arrests EU citizens, and uses its diplomats on the continent to plot bombings against Iranian opposition groups meeting on European soil. Just two months ago, the same quartet withdrew from the same event following the execution of Iranian activist and journalist, Ruhollah Zam. Less than one month ago, a Belgian court sentenced an Iranian diplomat stationed in Vienna to 20 years in prison for masterminding a terror attack in France and smuggling explosives aboard a commercial aircraft.

“The regime’s behavior has evidently not changed, and the torture, forced confessions and executions of innocent Iranians is continuing. It is strategically unsound and morally questionable for European officials to admonish the regime for its grotesque human rights abuses and at the same time work to strengthen its grip on power. 

“UANI repeats its call to representatives of all EU entities, including the European Commission which is funding this conference, to withdraw its support for the EIF immediately and completely, without exception. To protect their own people, uphold the values of human rights, and meet the threat of a violent, expansionist state sponsor of terror, the EU and European governments must stand with the U.S. and refuse to provide sanctions relief unless and until the regime verifiably ends its malign behaviors.” 

To read UANI’s Business Risk Matrix resource, please click here. 

To read UANI’s Iran Risk Snapshot, please click here. 

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