Western governments invite banks and enterprises to promote trade with Iran
United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom encourage companies and financial institutions to resume relations with Tehran. The removal of sanctions is only partial and obstacles remain amid fears of retaliation by some governments. So far, European banks have been "timid" in the resumption of relations with Iran.
Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The governments of the Western powers are encouraging banks and enterprises to develop business and trade relations with Iran in areas now deemed “legal”. These are the findings from a joint statement issued this morning by the US, France, UK and Germany.
In the note, issued at the end of a series of discussions held these days in Brussels, Belgium, headquarters of the European Commission, the four countries want to reassure businesses they should no longer fear to trade because of US sanctions on Tehran. These were seen as an obstacle to the resumption of trade, after the agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue re-opened the doors of the international community to the Islamic Republic.
In the joint statement the chancelleries of the four Western powers explained that "we will not block the path of authorized commercial activities with Iran". There will be no obstacles, therefore, adds the note, for "international companies" or "financial institutions" that wish to initiate activities with Iran, as long as they "comply with all applicable regulations".
After years of embargo, Iran has obtained a partial easing of Western economic sanctions, in exchange for agreement on its controversial atomic program [for civilian use according to Tehran, to produce the bomb according to other countries including Israel]. However, the US has maintained a series of sanctions because of Tehran's ballistic missile program, as well as its [armed] support for Shiite movements in the Middle East. Among these Hezbollah in Lebanon, the government in Damascus in Syria and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
European banks, which have branches in US territory, have been timid and have not yet fully promoted a revival of business and trade relations with Tehran for fear of cross Atlantic legal proceedings. In reality Washington has blocked the use of the dollar in bank trades, thus virtually halting any new economic contracts established after the nuclear deal. Obstacles that are favoring Iran’s internal fundamentalist faction and undermining the reform program of the moderate President Hassan Rouhani.
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