Secretary Antony Blinken and his German counterpart, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, “discussed Iran’s support of Russia’s aggression and joint efforts to hold the regime accountable for their violent crackdown on the brave people of Iran demanding basic human rights,” the U.S. Department of State told reporters earlier today. (Germany Should Immediately)
As Foreign Minister Baerbock stated on October 26, the German government should prioritize completing the review of Germany’s ties to Iran “in the area of trade and finance, including with regard to business relations that still exist with Iranian banks” and excluding Iranian banks from the German market in order to accomplish this. (Germany Should Immediately)
Iranian banks have a strong presence throughout Germany, where German businesses can obtain Letters of Credit, bank guarantees, insurance, and all other trade finance products required to conduct business in the Islamic Republic, as documented by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) in April 2020. (Germany Should Immediately)
The following are examples of these banks: UANI has also recommended and called upon Germany to suspend trade relations with Iran, withdraw its ambassador from Tehran and reduce the Iranian regime’s diplomatic presence in Germany, end its participation in negotiations to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and close the Islamic Center of Hamburg, which German intelligence agencies believe is directly controlled by the Iranian regime and led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s deputy in Europe.
