UANI Renews Call on Liebherr to End Its Business in Iran As Part of Ongoing Cranes Campaign

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) on Wednesday called on Swiss-German construction equipment manufacturer Liebherr to clarify its business dealings in Iran, and immediately end all of its business with Iran and Iranian entities.

As part of its “Cranes Campaign,” UANI in April called on Liebherr to stop supplying cranes to Iran, and noted that the government of Germany had expressed concerns about the possibility of Liebherr cranes being used by blacklisted Iranian shell companies to support Tehran's missile program.

In a May 18 response to UANI, Liebherr condemned the Iranian regime’s use of cranes for public executions, but did not state whether it would end its business activities in Iran.

UANI is now seeking further clarification from Liebherr about the current state of its business dealings in Iran. In a letter to Liebherr’s Managing Directors, UANI President, Ambassador Mark Wallace, and STOP THE BOMB Campaign Director Michael Spaney wrote:

In light of UANI's and Liebherr's shared condemnation of the abhorrent activities carried out by the Iranian regime, UANI would appreciate a clarification regarding Liebherr’s business activities in Iran. Is it the case that Liebherr no longer conducts any business in Iran or with Iranian entities?

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It is troubling that on its very own website, Liebherr states that it sells equipment in Iran through the Tehran-based Boron Marz Co. Similarly, the Iranian company Shenavar Saze Pooyesh (SSP) states it is the exclusive agent of Liebherr Werk Nenzig, the Austrian-based subsidiary of Liebherr. It is possible other entities are doing so as well.

Ambassador Wallace and Director Spaney also noted the recent uptick in Iran’s current execution binge, and the possibility that Liebherr’s cranes are being used by the regime for brutal public executions:

Sadly, the situation on the ground in Iran has continued to deteriorate. Since UANI's initial correspondence to Liebherr on April 27, 2011, Iran has accelerated its pace of executions, including public executions. Iran Human Rights, a leading human rights organization on Iran, has reported that in the month of May alone at least 54 people have been executed, with 15 of those executions taking place publicly.

The UANI "Cranes Campaign" highlights the Iranian regime's abhorrent executions by hanging from construction cranes, and the disturbing reality that these cranes are coming from Western and Asian companies. UANI requested a reply from Liebherr by June 17, 2011.

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