German business goals played key-role in Iran Nuclear Deal
Germany hopes to close “lucrative deals worth billions”
Before the ink could barely dry on the Iran Deal, Germany’s Economy Minister Sigmar Garbiel flew to Tehran, making him the first leading Western figure to do so after the nuclear agreement was reached Vienna earlier this month.
Gabriel who is also Germany’s Vice-Chancellor met with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and other top Iranian leaders described the moods of the visit as “being with old friends.”
Germany’s leading newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote [translation by me]:
Germans many not have been at the center of the talks, but as go-betweens for Iran, they were considerably important. Amongst all parties working to bring about a negotiated deal, Germans enjoyed [Tehran’s] special trust.
Germany had tremendous economic interest in ending sanction on Iran and it is not making any secrets of it. In June, just as the Iran deal was nearing its final phases, the Bavarian Chamber of Commerce (BIHK) noted in its newsletter[translation by me]:
The German media landscape agrees on one point: lucrative deals worth billions are waiting to be made in Iran. As soon as the sanction are lifted, the run on the markets begins.
Last week, at a press conference in Berlin, Minister Gabriel brushed aside human rights concerns in Iran, saying that the lifting of sanctions were only coupled to Iranian nuclear program and “not related to other matters.” He further explained that his task as Economy Minister is to “help the German economy”, pointing out that his French and Italian counterparts now heading to Tehran are doing just the same.
The German media cheered their Minister’s ‘bold stand’ before Mullahs is Tehran, as he “insisted” on Israel’s right to exist. The Iranian counterparts didn’t even merit that with a response–and that was the end of Minister’s grandstanding.
Video: Germany’s Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Garbiel meets Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani:
The German weekly Die Welt reported [translation by me]:
[Not just in streets of Tehran] but also in German board rooms there was great elation over the [Iran] deal: The German economy is electrified at the prospect of again doing business with the Islamic country. German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) (…) estimates that German exports to Iran could be doubled to €5 billion in coming two years.
Another leading trade body, the Federation of German Industry (BDI), is even more bullish on Iran and foresees the trade volume cross the €10 billion-mark in next few years. Eric Schweitzer, DIHK-President told Die Welt that as far as the German business goes, “the doors [in Tehran] are very, very wide open”. Industry players in Germany are counting on the great prestige attached to the “Made in Germany” label in Iran–which is synonymous with high-quality and reliability.
The clerics in Tehran could not agree more with German industry’s assessment.
Could we soon expect Iranian Regime using “reliable” German construction cranes to hang dissidents and homosexuals – having been forced to make do with other substandard options for far too long?
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Comments
No surprise there. The Germans and the French were both more interested in selling equipment to Iraq when Saddam Hussein was in power than they were in enforcing sanctions.
Quite right. The Germans and French have borne the brunt of the UN sanctions, and were itching to get rid of them. Russia and China also, they never expected sanctions to go on so long.
Which is all the more reason we should have stuck to them. They were working and by now would have forced Iran into real concessions.
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Obama saved the Islamic Republic. There is no getting around that fact. How’s that for a legacy?
It’s good to know that all those German Banks everyone’s been so worried about because of Greece will have the chance to make up their losses by selling stuff to Iran.
Like state of the art centrifuges, yellow cake (or better yet purchase some materials from reactors in France and Germany), Piping and maybe some guidance electronics.
I pray to God that Israel is spared a nuclear attack. Shalom.
France: Je Suis Sell-Out. Je Suis Nouveau riche.
Germany: Ich bin ein Ausverkauf. Ich bin die Banalität des Bösen.
The cynical side of me says that Germany is just trying to get Iran to do what they themselves failed to do…
Europeans generally are the spoiled brats of geopolitics. They are used to…and depend on…the US keeping all the boogers at bay, pretty much gratis to Europeans.
They have been historically free to profit against even their own interests, but certainly US interests. This is just another iteration.
Our next REAL president should read Europe the riot act, letting them know that America is no longer the Lone Ranger. They need to join the posse.
Fuc*ing Germans. They are always the first in and the last out of any sanctioned country for evil international behavior. I’ll bet if the skins of the onion were peeled back you would see the same companies that built the ovens and the gas during WWII. Not all Germans are bad of course but their business climate has no conscience. GE in the US is one of the evil greed mongers and has done business with the murderous country Iran during all of the sanctions. We expect China, Russia and North Korea to jump right in because they show daily that they have no concern for human rights. But Germany has a very thin veneer of humanity that protects them from open condemnation.
There they go again – the old Axis (of Evil) trying to begin World War III.
The Germans may be well advised to remember how well their agreement with Russia in 1939 worked out for them.