Germany

"Western insurers are slowly reaching deals with Iran as they seek to re-enter a multi-billion dollar market although the pace of business is hampered by banking restrictions ten months on from the lifting of international sanctions...European export credit agencies are guaranteeing trade finance for Western companies doing business with Iran. Aviation and energy are two sectors in focus, industry executives say, along with political risk cover, even if there have been few deals so far.Other large insurers and reinsurers such as Hannover Re (HNRGn.DE) are looking closely at Iran, but say concerns about payments still prevent them from doing business there.(Reuters, "Cautious Western insurers rebuild business ties with Iran," 10/21/2016).

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Reuters reported that Hannover Re “would evaluate potential opportunities in [Iran].”  (Reuters, “Global insurers plot cautious course to Iran,” 1/24/2016).  

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"New York's top financial regulator has expanded a probe into whether reinsurance companies have written policies on international trade with Iran, which could potentially violate new U.S. sanctions. In a letter posted to its website on Wednesday, the state's Department of Financial Services asked reinsurers to explain their dealings with entities and people that have ties to Iran. The department also asked reinsurers to explain procedures in place to ensure compliance with the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, which took effect on July 1. Twenty reinsurers are getting the letter, including Hannover Re, Lloyd's of London and Swiss Re, a person familiar with the matter said. Those reinsurers were among those contacted last month by the regulator, whose superintendent is Benjamin Lawsky, over their dealings involving Iran… The new law bans financial services companies that do business in the United States, such as insurers and reinsurers, from providing services to companies that trade with Iran. Such a ban can make it harder for shippers to transact with Iran, because they need insurance to protect against the risk of losses on big shipments." (Reuters, "NY Regulator Expands Probe Into Reinsurers' Iran Ties," 7/24/13)

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"German reinsurer Hannover Re AG (HNR1.XE) said separately that it conducts a small amount of business in Iran and will only continue to do so if it complies strictly with United Nations and European Union sanctions.

The company said it 'conducts treaty business (proportional and non proportional) and a small amount of facultative business in the Republic of Iran,' without giving figures." (Dow Jones Newswires, "Allianz Suspends Iran Business, Hannover Re Honors Sanctions," 2/19/10)

German insurer Allianz (ALVG.DE) is preparing to wind down Iran-related business due to possible U.S. sanctions, a spokesman said on Tuesday. “We are analyzing our portfolio to identify Iran-related business,” he said in an e-mailed statement. “This analysis is ongoing and we are developing wind-down plans for relevant business to ensure appropriate termination within the defined periods.” (May 15, 2018).

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Allianz participated in the Iran Post Sanctions Business forum (the “Forum”) in Berlin on January 24-25, 2017. 

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In January 2016, however, Reuters reported that Allianz “would evaluate potential opportunities in the country [Iran].”  (Reuters, “Global insurers plot cautious course to Iran,” 1/24/2016). 

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"Allianz SE (ALV.XE), Europe's largest primary insurer by gross premiums, said Friday it is suspending business in Iran amid calls for tighter sanctions against the country after the International Atomic Energy Agency censured Tehran for its nuclear enrichment program.

'Allianz has decided not to renew insurance treaty business in Iran because of political developments in the region. This business amounts to negligible premiums,' Allianz said in a statement, without being more specific." (Dow Jones Newswires, "Allianz Suspends Iran Business, Hannover Re Honors Sanctions," 2/19/10)

Rickmers-Linie lists a contact in Tehran. (Company Website)

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"The Hamburg-based shipping line, Rickmers-Line, has signed a $120-million contract with the Iranian company [Sadra Group] for building four multi-purpose ships.  The project to construct these ships was launched in March and necessary technical equipment has been purchased.  Each of these ships will have the capacity to transport 24,000 tons of cargo. As per the agreement, the four ships will have to be delivered between July 2007-2008.  Several other shipbuilding projects are underway in Iran.  The International Maritime Organization has 140 member-states with Iran among the top 20." (Zaywa, "Sadra Signs $2.4b Shipbuilding Contract," 6/18/06)

"Tunnel builder Herrenknecht waived Iran business. We are relinquishing a deal with a contract of around 20 million euros…if the company had made the deal, we would have been exposed to the risk of being blistered.” (8/9/2018)

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Herrenknecht AG is listed as a participant at the 2017 Iran Oil Show that took place in Tehran, Iran.

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On its company website, Herrenknecht lists that it has three offices in Tehran, Iran. (Company Website)

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March 2016, HerrenkenchtHerrenknecht “talked openly about operations and his hope to maintain them despite growing political uncertainty.......  ‘You’ll laugh, but two of our machines have been operating in Tehran for the last 12 years to build a metro system.  The contract dates back to before the sanctions,’ said Martin Herrenkencht.”Herrenknecht.”  (Handelsblatt, “Drilling Down to the Essence,” 3/14/2016). 

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Herrenknecht Chairman Martin Herrenknecht “recently visited Tehran, meeting officials in the energy ministry and sewage department.  Before Western sanctions hit, Herrenknecht, which carries its 72-year-old founder's name, did 10 million to 15 million euros ($11 million-$17 million) of business a year in Iran.).  He said, 'I know what projects are coming and I'mI’m ready to sign when the sanctions are lifted.'"   (Reuters, “German Exporters Eye Lucrative Deals in Post-Sanctions Iran,” 7/5/15).  

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"As the Iran embargo looks likely to be lifted after negotiations between Western countries and Teheran on Iran's nuclear program seem set to achieve a settlement, German firms, in particular, are eager to breathe new life into their traditional business ties with the country. Currently, German exports to Iran amount to about 2.4 billion euros ($2.6 billion) - less than half what they were ten years ago, when sanctions were imposed. According to the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), that figure could easily multiply to a sum in the double-digit billions once sanctions will be lifted. At a conference in Frankfurt organized by the German Near and Middle East Association (NUMOV), about 250 German business leaders explored opportunities likely to open up in Iran in the near future. The one-day event on Tuesday, called 'Doing Business in Iran,' primarily dealt with the Iranian oil and gas industry, but also cast a light on the renewable energy and finance sectors... Martin Herrenknecht, owner of a German tunnel-boring machine manufacturer, expects tough competition from Asian rivals once his company re-enters the Iranian market after sanctions are lifted... In the years before sanctions were imposed on Iran, Herrenknecht's firm sold equipment worth between 10 million euros ($11.5 million) and 15 million euros annually to Iran. He hopes to re-launch his Iranian business fairly quickly as he wants to benefit from Teheran's plans to build a new subway line in the country's capital, as well as a new high-speed train ---connection and improvements to the national water and sewage systems." (DW, "German business looks to post-sanctions Iran boom," 5/19/15)

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"Germany’s multi-billion euro bilateral trade relationship with Iran continues unabated, even as evidence mounts that the Islamic Republic is determined to build a nuclear weapons capability. The Jerusalem Post has obtained an uncensored list from late 2011, showing hundreds of German and Iranian enterprises in a flourishing trade relationship . . . One company named is Baden-Württemberg-based engineering giant Herrenknecht AG, which appears to be delivering heavy tunneling equipment to Iran – some of which is promoted as having the capability of 'drilling down to depths of 6,000 meters.' In response to Post inquiries, an unidentified representative of the company wrote via email on Friday that it has 'comprehensively ensured that Herrenknecht excavation engineering and services solely reach projects which clearly pursue civil applications [metro tunnel construction, sewage pipes and water supply lines]' . . . Though EU sanctions have been in place since 2010 to bar oil and gas technology trade with the Islamic Republic, Herrenknecht participated in Iran’s most important oil trade show in 2012. To participate in the Iran oil show, companies are required to send their registration fees to Bank Mellat – which the EU and US had sanctioned due to its involvement in nuclear proliferation." (Jerusalem Post, "German firms still ship dual-use goods to Iran Jerusalem," 7/9/12)

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Over the past decade, Iran has quietly hidden an increasingly large part of its atomic complex in networks of tunnels and bunkers across the country...

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...

Many of the companies keep offices in Tehran. Herrenknecht, a German firm considered the market leader, lists three. Engineers say Iran has hundreds of miles of civilian tunneling projects under way, including subways in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz, highway tunnels across the country and water tunnels to irrigate the dry interior. (The New York Times, "Iran Shielding Its Nuclear Efforts in a Maze of Tunnels," 1/6/09)

In 2017, CalSTRS designated Muenchener Rueck as “Under Review” for potentially having ties to Iran. In 2018, CalSTRS removed Muenchener Rueck after reviewing the company’s business with Iran and internal controls to prevent sanction violations.

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“Meanwhile Munich Re has said it would withdraw from Iran in case of sanctions so as not to jeopardise its much larger US activities.” (France 24, "US pressuring German firms 'daily' over Iran sanctions," 9/20/2018).

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"The chief executive of reinsurance group Munich Re said it may abandon its Iran business under pressure from the United States, but described the operation as very small." (“China, Germany Defend Iran Business Ties as US Sanctions Grip,” Reuters, August 8, 2018.)

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"Germany-based Munich Re, the world's largest reinsurer, will stop reinsurance for ships carrying Iranian oil exports on July 1, a spokeswoman said. 'Munich Re will of course continue to monitor future international developments regarding sanctions against Iran and comply with all applicable sanction regulations,' she said."  (The Wall Street Journal, "Japan Seeks Delay to Adjust to Europe's Iran Sanctions," 6/13/12)

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"On Thursday, Munich Re AG (MUV2.XE), one of the world's largest reinsurers, said it was suspending its business dealings with Iranian companies.

'Due to the political situation in Iran, Munich Re has decided to not renew existing business or write any new business with insurance companies there. This decision will have an impact on Munich Re's premium volume of around EUR10 million,' annually, the company said in a statement. Its total annual premium volume is around EUR41 billion." (Dow Jones Newswires, "Allianz Suspends Iran Business, Hannover Re Honors Sanctions," 2/19/10)

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"U.S. officials are considering targeting big financial firms including Lloyd's of London in a bid to impose tougher sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme... The White House is keen to concentrate on Iran's dependence on refined oil imports and insurance firms that underwrite the trade...

Mark Dubowitz, of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies policy institute, said: 'The key fulcrum is the insurance and reinsurance companies. 'It's difficult to ship without insurance and reinsurance...' 'If new sanctions were put in place, we would immediately take action to make sure underwriters were compliant.' Other companies which could be targeted include Munich Re." (Daily Mail, "Obama to target Lloyd's of London in plan for tougher sanctions on Iran," 10/2/09)

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"The US and its allies are stepping up efforts to push through sanctions on companies that provide Iran with insurance following last week’s revelation that Tehran is building an undeclared nuclear facility.

The move could affect the business of groups such as Lloyd’s of London and Munich Re, hit Iran’s supply of refined oil and bypass the UN Security Council, where both Russia and China have signalled their misgivings about sweeping new sanctions...

Aipac, the pro-Israeli lobby group, has identified groups such as Lloyd’s and Munich Re as providing services to shipments of refined petroleum to Iran... Munich Re said it would review any new financial and trade sanctions." (Financial Times, "Insurers targeted in Iran sanctions push," 9/28/09)

"Has suspended activities in Iran "until further notice according to applicable sanctions"; had not resumed the production or sale of Mercedes cars or trucks in Iran." ("Daimler abandons its Iran plans over US sanctions," CNN, August 7, 2018.)

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Iran nears last steps to finalize deal with Daimler.

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"Daimler Trucks head Wolfgang Bernhard said on Saturday that "there is a huge demand for commercial vehicles in Iran" and that 'we plan to quickly resume our business activities in the market there,' AP reported. He added that the Stuttgart-based company has so far signed letters of intent with local partners Iran Khodro Diesel and Mammut Group to arrange a 'comprehensive re-entry' into the Islamic Republic where Daimler started doing business in the 1950s." (Tasnim News Agency, "Germany's Daimler Says to Resume Truck Business in Iran," 7/3/2016).

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"Daimler on Monday said its trucks division had signed letters of intent with joint venture partners in Iran as part of the German truck maker's re-entry into the Iranian market following the lifting of international sanctions…. Daimler said it would cooperate with Iran Khodro Diesel (IKD) and Iran's Mammut Group, establishing a joint venture for local production of Mercedes-Benz trucks and powertrain components, plus the establishment of a sales company for Mercedes-Benz trucks. Furthermore, there are plans for Daimler to return as a shareholder in the former engine joint venture Iranian Diesel Engine Manufacturing Co. (IDEM). Daimler Trucks intends to open a representative office in Tehran during the first quarter of 2016, the Stuttgart, Germany-based company said. The first Mercedes-Benz Actros and Axor trucks could be supplied to the country in the form of CKD (completely knocked down) kits - or fully disassembled - before the end of the year, Daimler said.In addition to the plans for Mercedes-Benz trucks, Daimler Trucks also sees great opportunities for its Mitsubishi FUSO brand – especially in the light-duty truck segment. To open up this market, Daimler and Mammut have signed a distribution agreement for the FUSO brand.” (Reuters, “Truck maker Daimler signs agreement to return to Iran,” 1/18/2016).

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"Daimler AG's Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said Wednesday the German auto maker will divest its 30% stake in Iranian Diesel Engine Manufacturing as part of a wider review of its business relationships with the country. 'In view of the current political situation we have...extensively reassessed this business relationship,' Mr. Zetsche told shareholders at Daimler's annual general meeting." (The Wall Street Journal, "Daimler Downgrades Ties to Iran," 4/14/10)

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"Daimler has maintained a partnership with Iran car maker Iran Khodro since the 1960s, according to a company spokesperson, and it owns a 30 percent stake in an engine manufacturer owned by Iran Khodro. The company still ships cars to Iran, but new German export laws prohibit the sale of large trucks, and the spokesperson said that the sales are a small portion of worldwide revenue. Daimler and its subsidiaries have won contracts to supply cars and trucks to the U.S. government."  The company received $4.2 billion from the US government for their business investments in Iran during 2000-2009.  Their activities in Iran are currently active. (The New York Times, "Profiting from Iran, and the US," 3/6/2010)

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Germany's trade ties to Iran stretch back to the Middle Ages, and many of the companies currently there have been active in Iran for decades. Some 85 German companies have operations in Iran, from chemical maker BASF AG to Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Bayer AG, and others such as Linde AG and Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG are active there, according to the Hamburg-based German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce. More than 7,000 companies conduct business there through local representatives. Germany has become such a big trading partner for Iran because so many of its companies provide the machinery and engineering prowess Iran needs to improve its infrastructure.(The Wall Street Journal, "German Firms Feel Pressure Over Tehran Trade," 10/3/09)

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Several renowned German companies are involved in major Iranian infrastructure projects, especially in the petrochemical sector, like Linde, BASF, Lurgi, Krupp, Siemens, ZF Friedrichshafen, Mercedes, Volkswagen and MAN. (Payvand News, Iranian exports to Germany rose 50% last year, 1/9/08)

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Major Non-Oil Investments [In Iran]: Renault (France) and Mercedes (Germany)- automobile production in Karaj, Iran--valued at $370 million. (Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, Iran: U.S. concerns and policy responses, 12/1/07)

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German companies such as Siemens, BASF, Mercedes, and Volkswagen maintain strong business ties with Iran. (The New York Sun, Attack on Iran Said To Be Imminent, 9/28/07)

US troops boarded a German-owned freighter in early October and found eight containers full of ammunition, allegedly headed to Syria from Iran. The shipment is in violation of a UN weapons embargo and has become a source of chagrin in Berlin... The incident is particularly awkward for Berlin as the Hansa India is registered to the Hamburg-based shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg. Investigators suspect that the arms were part of an Iranian shipment bound for either the Syrian army or for Hezbollah, the militant Islamist group. US officials have pointed out that the delivery is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747, which prohibits arms shipments either into or out of Iran. According to Leonhardt & Blumberg, the 243-meter-long (297-foot-long) ship has for years been under charter to the state-owned shipping company Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. Two US warships halted the Hansa India after receiving a tip-off from intelligence services. (Der Spiegel, "German Ship Transporting Arms for Iran," 10/12/09)

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Meanwhile, it has emerged that IRISL-chartered containership Hansa India also stopped and boarded by the US Navy in the Suez Canal last week, at which point American security personne found seven containers loaded with 7.62mm calibre bullet casings suitable for for Kalashnikov rifles, as well as an eighth container loaded with blanks that could be used for the manufacture of projectiles. The 1994-built vessel is German-flagged and is associated with Hamburg-based Leonhardt & Blumberg, although it has been chartered by IRISL for some years. Frank Leonhardt, chief executive of Leonhardt & Blumberg, was not immediately available for comment... The delivery is in apparent violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, which prohibits arms shipments either into or out of Iran. (Lloyd's List, "IRISL hit with UK nuclear sanctions," 10/12/09)

Chemicals giant Bayer and consumer goods producer Henkel said they are reviewing their Iran business. (Darrel Delamaide, “German firms bend to US sanctions, cutting ties to Iran,” Handelsblatt (Germany), August 9, 2018.)

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Works in Iran through its subsidiary Bayer Parsian AG. 

“Bayer looks back on a very long history in the Iranian market and has been present with an own entity in Iran for more than 50 years.”

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The Managing Director of "Bayer Middle East FZE", Mr. Harald Liedtke, serves as a board member of the German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce in Tehran. (AME Info, "Harald Liedtke new Managing Director of Bayer Middle East," 6/26/2011; German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce website, "Vorstand")

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Over the last three presidential administrations, the United States government has granted Bayer 13 special licenses to do business in Iran. (New York Times, "Companies with Permission to Bypass Sanctions," 12/24/10)

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"Bayer has been selling products in Iran since the 1880s, according to the company, and founded its first local subsidiary there in the 1960s. Bayer, which sells a variety of products, including medicine, soaps, car treatments and shoe soles, has also sold food, oils, X-Ray equipment and drugs to the American government." The company has $610 million in revenue and benefits from the US government for their investments in Iran during 2000-2009.  Their activities in Iran are currently active. (The New York Times, "Profiting from Iran, and the US," 3/6/2010)

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"Germany's trade ties to Iran stretch back to the Middle Ages, and many of the companies currently there have been active in Iran for decades. Some 85 German companies have operations in Iran, from chemical maker BASF AG to Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Bayer AG, and others such as Linde AG and Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG are active there, according to the Hamburg-based German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce. More than 7,000 companies conduct business there through local representatives. Germany has become such a big trading partner for Iran because so many of its companies provide the machinery and engineering prowess Iran needs to improve its infrastructure." (The Wall Street Journal, "German Firms Feel Pressure Over Tehran Trade," 10/3/09)

"Knauf Gips KG, a German building materials company that last week told its employees in Iran they would be fired if they participated in political demonstrations, withdrew the threat on Friday after The Wall Street Journal published an article about the policy...The company, which employs a few hundred people in Iran, is still trying to clarify the details of why the letter was written...Founded in 1932 Knauf, which has about 22,000 employees and annual revenue of about 5.5 billion euros, is based in rural Bavaria and operates in more than 40 countries around the world. In addition to drywall, the company makes fiber board and other building materials. Knauf's U.S. operation, located in Shelbyville, Indiana, makes building insulation." (The Wall Street Journal, "German Firm Withdraws Threat to Fire Employees in Iran," 8/3/09)

"German airline Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said on Friday that it would resume flights from Frankfurt to Tehran from April 16, [2021]. Lufthansa had suspended flights in January 2020 after a Ukranian airliner was shot down soon after take-off from Tehran. The airline said it has since assessed security measures by Iran with national and international authorities. "The conditions for safe flight operations in Iranian airspace are currently in place," it said in an emailed statement." (Reuters, "Lufthansa to resume flights from Frankfurt to Tehran this month," 4/2/21)

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"Germany’s flagship carrier Lufthansa said on Friday that its group airlines were cancelling flights to and from Tehran until Jan. 20 inclusive due to the uncertain security situation of the airspace around the Iranian capital. Lufthansa said the move was a “precautionary measure” and it would decide if and when its flights to Iran would resume when it had more information." (Reuters, "Lufthansa cancels flights to and from Tehran due to uncertain security," 1/10/2020).

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"Germany’s flagship carrier Lufthansa is cancelling its daily flight between Frankfurt and Tehran due to the situation in Iran, a spokesman said on Wednesday." (Reuters, "Lufthansa cancels daily flight between Frankfurt and Tehran," 1/8/2020).

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Will continue flights to Tehran, along with its partner Austrian Airlines, "until further notice." "European airlines are scrapping flights to Iran," CNN, August 23, 2018.

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Lufthansa lists an airport office at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran. Following implementation Day, Lufthansa increased the number of scheduled flights from Germany to Tehran and entered into a partnership with Iran Air.

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"Lufthansa is in talks with Iran Air to provide catering, maintenance and pilot training services as it seeks to take advantage of emerging business opportunities in the country, executives at the German airline group said on Wednesday. Foreign companies have been vying for contracts in Iran since economic sanctions were lifted last year in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear technology development projects. "We are in very, very intense discussions, actually almost on a weekly basis," said Karsten Zang, Lufthansa's regional director for the Gulf, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, at a press briefing in Dubai. Lufthansa Group subsidiaries LSG Sky Chefs, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Pilot Training are seeking the contracts with Iran Air whilst the group is also in talks to provide services to other Iranian aviation firms, he told reporters at a company briefing in Dubai. Iran has signed orders for 200 new Western-built aircraft for Iran Air, taking delivery so far of two new Airbus A330s and an A321." (Reuters,  "Lufthansa In talks With Iran Air Over Catering, Maintenance Deals," 4/19/2017).

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In mid-March, the German aviation company Lufthansa signed a memorandum of understanding to provide logistics and maintenance services to Iran's airline. (March 2016)

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Lufthansa offers daily flights between Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport (IKA) and Frankfurt Airport (FRA) (see company website). The airline is also the parent company of Austrian Airlines, which also offers daily flights to Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport.

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“Lufthansa is closely following the political situation in Iran as the country weighs up the potential of a further easing of sanctions, an executive at the German airline said. ‘Iran is going to be an interesting development for us,’ Carsten Schaeffer, Lufthansa’s Vice President Sales and Services Southeast Europe, Africa, Middle East/Pakistan, said at a media briefing in Dubai on Wednesday. Schaeffer recently visited Tehran, the Iranian capital…He said that Iran, with a population of 75 million, represents a significant opportunity for the airline. ‘Obviously, airlines provide the interchange business and create new traffic streams and so we are looking forward to what is happening in Iran,’ he said.” (Gulf News, “Lufthansa interested in Iran,” 2/6/14)

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"Austrian Airlines, a unit of Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa, is cancelling its services to Iran due to a lack of demand, a spokesman said. The carrier's last flight from Vienna to Tehran will be on January 13... A spokesman for Lufthansa said the German carrier was continuing to fly to Tehran five times a week. Italian airline Alitalia also flies to Iran, according to its website." (Reuters, "Two airlines suspend Iran flights as economy weakens," 1/12/2013)

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According to an Annual Report filed by JetBlue in 2012: "Deutsche Lufthansa AG, or Lufthansa, is a stockholder of approximately 17% of JetBlue's outstanding shares of common stock and has two representatives on our Board of Directors.  Accordingly, it may be deemed an “affiliate” of JetBlue, as that term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2.  In response to our inquiries, Lufthansa informed us that it does not engage in transactions that would be disclosable under ITRA Section 219.  However, Lufthansa informed us that it does provide air transportation services from Frankfurt, Germany to Tehran, Iran pursuant to Air Transport Agreements between the respective governments. Accordingly, Lufthansa may have agreements in place to support such air transportation services with the appropriate agencies or entities, such as landing or overflight fees, handling fees or technical/refueling fees. In addition, there may be additional civil aviation related dealings with Iran Air as part of typical airline to airline interactions.  In response to our inquiry, Lufthansa did not specify the total revenue it receives in connection with the foregoing transactions, but confirmed the transactions are not prohibited under any applicable laws."
 

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"Some major Western airlines were continuing to fly to Tehran, though, namely Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, KLM and Alitalia." (The Daily Star, "Airlines stop Iran flights as currency crisis bites," 10/8/2012)

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"Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA.XE) and its U.K.-based airline British Midland International said Wednesday it faces refueling issues after Iranian authorities said there were fuel shortages, but Iran's state-run newspaper reported it was a retaliatory move... The decision comes after some European countries last year refused to refuel Iranian aircraft. That led to Iran warning it would take action if their planes continued to be refused fuel. A spokesman for Lufthansa said it received a phone call about fuel issues and that it had been warned there may not be enough supply to complete refueling or refuel altogether from Thursday. The Lufthansa spokesman said the airline is looking at its options to refuel at other countries as aircraft return to Germany." (Dow Jones, "European Airlines Face Refueling Issues in Iran," 4/13/11)

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Lufthansa is being investigated for its role in transporting nuclear-related supplies through Europe, a part of a greater incident which diplomats say “turned into a major battleground as world powers hashed out international sanctions against Iran.” “Frankfurt prosecutors say they launched their investigations after customs officials seized air-freight cargo en route from Moscow to Tehran that they determined contained monitoring equipment bound for the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which has been haltingly under construction since the 1970s. The EU argues that helping even the civilian side of Iran's nuclear program serves to strengthen the full nuclear program, so it prohibits dealings with Bushehr...The prosecution spokeswoman said the November 2009 shipment, seized in a Frankfurt airport warehouse, was handled by Lufthansa Cargo, a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG...A Lufthansa Cargo spokesman said the carrier complies with EU regulations and has 'strengthened its controls in cooperation with the German Customs Office' since the seizure.” Unlike the more extensive Russian activities in Iran, a European intelligence official believes the Germany seizures are making progress: "The closure of EU airspace to Iran nuclear trade decreases delivery options and increases the cost of business" (The Wall Street Journal, "Germany Probes Russian Shipments to Iran," 6/12/10).

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"The airline has maintained a route to Iran since 1956, a spokesperson said."  From 2000-2009, the company was the recipient of $36.8 million US federal funds.  Their investments in Iran are currently active.  (The New York Times, "Profiting from Iran, and the US," 3/6/2010)

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Germany's trade ties to Iran stretch back to the Middle Ages, and many of the companies currently there have been active in Iran for decades. Some 85 German companies have operations in Iran, from chemical maker BASF AG to Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Bayer AG, and others such as Linde AG and Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG are active there, according to the Hamburg-based German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce. More than 7,000 companies conduct business there through local representatives. Germany has become such a big trading partner for Iran because so many of its companies provide the machinery and engineering prowess Iran needs to improve its infrastructure. (The Wall Street Journal, "German Firms Feel Pressure Over Tehran Trade," 10/3/09)