Article

2006-03-28 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran appears to favor the "Made in Germany" brand in its controversial quest for a nuclear program. Customs officers are probing suspected illegal exports of specialized German equipment to Iran's nuclear reactor in Bushehr via Russia.

German prosecutors said on Monday they had uncovered a procurement network that has been illegally supplying equipment to Iran's nuclear industry via Russia.

The state prosecutor's office in Potsdam near Berlin said customs officers had raided 41 firms across Germany, one of which was under suspicion of having knowingly delivered material to Iran in contravention of German export restrictions. No arrests have been made.

"Five or six firms delivered goods to Iran. We suspect that one of the companies knew where the equipment was headed," Potsdam prosecutor Benedikt Welfens told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "The other firms thought the equipment they were supplying was destined for Russia, for which no export restrictions apply."

Welfens declined to name the firms but said they were all small to medium-sized rather than multinational. He said the only company accused of breaking the law was based near Frankfurt in western Germany.

The West suspects Iran is covertly seeking to build an atomic weapon. Iran denies this, saying it is pursuing nuclear programs purely for civilian use.

Russia, which has a $1 billion stake in Iran's Bushehr nuclear-reactor project, has put up the toughest resistance among major powers to the US-led push for the United Nations Security Council to order Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activity that could produce fuel for an atomic bomb.

Welfens said the investigation had been underway since September 2004 but that customs authorities had only recently received information that material shipments had arrived in Iran. The goods were supplied to the Bushehr reactor, he said.

Peripheral materials, Russian middlemen

The German firms delivered so-called "dual use" equipment -- material with both civilian and military applications -- such as pumps, electronic components, transformers and steel cables.

"The material was not of crucial significance for the nuclear industry, it was peripheral rather than core. It did not include centrifuges," the prosecutor said.

Welfens said goods worth a total of 3 million are believed to have been exported illegally. Apart from specialized cable, no equipment has been confiscated. "We have been following a paper trail," he said.

He said a front company based in Berlin and staffed by seven people, mainly Russians, had contacted firms throughout Germany in their search for equipment. The material was transported overland to Russia via the German-Polish border town of Frankfurt/Oder and then shipped to Iran over the Caspian Sea. The company no longer exists.

"There are no signs that the Russian authorities knew anything about this," said Welfens. "We can't rule out that the Iranians approached Russian middlemen directly. It doesn't appear to have been handled very professionally. The middlemen would go around offering cash." None of the men is in custody.

Welfens said he hoped the raids would act as a deterrent to firms. Last month German authorities jailed two men suspected of buying weapons and missile technology on behalf of Iranian intelligence services.

Prosecutors said the two men had been shopping for control components for projectiles, equipment for the production of European Ariane IV launch vehicle rockets, military radio and night-vision equipment.

Although customs officials were able to stop one shipment of items out of Germany, authorities are investigating whether other shipments could have successfully left the country.

German prosecutors are also in contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna as they investigate German involvement in a nuclear black market that supplied Iran, Libya and North Korea with uranium enrichment technology that can be used to produce fuel for nuclear power plants or weapons.

cro/reuters

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-03-28 04:58|| || Front Page|| [11145 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Why is this such a common thing from Germany? What makes them think that we should back them at all?

Posted by newc">newc 2006-03-28 06:01|| 2006-03-28 06:01|| Front Page Top

#2 Saddam's Iraq redux

Posted by Captain America 2006-03-28 09:18|| 2006-03-28 09:18|| Front Page Top

#3 Why is this such a common thing from Germany?

Seems to me its like asking the question; Why are Belgium front companies always breaking arms embargos? Location, location, location. Much of the contraband material itself is manufactured in certain European countries. Those countries have, or are in close proximity to other countries, with less then rigid transit requirements. Inability, or in some cases refusal, to enforce laws necessary to mitigate the flow of contraband make these attractive transit hubs. By design, nefarious groups such as the Russian syndicate have set up shop in close proximity to these hubs. Governments should be held accountable for enforcement, but make no mistake, these soulless Profiteers have no sincere allegiance to any god or government.

Posted by DepotGuy 2006-03-28 09:22|| 2006-03-28 09:22|| Front Page Top

#4 Not the first time. Iran has gotten Dutch night vision equipment, Swedish patrol craft, Italian munitions, US computers, medical gear, jet parts, and other equipment. Lots of places to get stuff. Lots of folks liking to make a buck.

Posted by Pappy 2006-03-28 11:09|| 2006-03-28 11:09|| Front Page Top

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