UANI Calls on Daelim to End Its Irresponsible Business in Iran as Part of GAO Campaign

October 13, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 13, 2011

Contact: Nathan Carleton, [email protected]

Phone: (212) 554-3296

     

UANI Calls on Daelim to End Its Irresponsible Business in Iran as Part of GAO Campaign   

Campaign Highlights Firms Active in Iran's Energy Sector

 

New York, NY - On Thursday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on South Korea's Daelim Industrial Co. to end its ongoing business activities in Iran. UANI also called on the Obama administration to sanction Daelim, given that Daelim is doing work in Iran's energy sector while also receiving U.S. Defense contracts in apparent violation of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA).        

 

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Offices (GAO), Daelim is one of 16 firms currently active in Iran's oil, gas, or petrochemical sectors and one of only two companies operating in sanctioned sectors in Iran while also benefiting from U.S. government contracts. As part of its GAO Campaign, UANI is calling on these firms to end their business in Iran.

 

Daelim maintains an active and robust presence in Iran. It lists a Tehran office on its website, and the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company, Seyfollah Jashnsaz, has praised Daelim for having "played a significant part in the country's industrial development."

 

Daelim's 2010 Annual Report cites projects in sectors dominated by the Iranian government, specifically the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a well-known terrorist entity.

 

In a letter to Daelim Chairman and CEO Yong Koo Lee, UANI President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, wrote:

 

The business Daelim conducts in Iran, particularly in sectors dominated by government entities, directly supports a despotic regime that poses a direct threat to international peace and security. It is time for Daelim's support of the Iranian regime to stop.

 

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Daelim's involvement in Iran's natural gas and petroleum sectors is beyond dispute as evidenced by the GAO report. Daelim also continues, however, to be the beneficiary of lucrative government contracts, including most recently a $4 million deal to build U.S. troop housing in South Korea. UANI therefore has no choice but to highlight the fact that Daelim may be in violation of CISADA's certification requirement, including by informing our supporters and members of the U.S. Congress.

 

It is unacceptable that at the same time that Daelim is receiving millions of dollars from the U.S. government, it is also providing funds facilitating the Iranian government's ability to pursue an illicit nuclear weapons program and sponsor terrorism. It is time for Daelim to join other responsible global corporations, including Caterpillar, Terex, ThyssenKrupp and Kia Motors, and send a strong message to the leadership in Tehran that the international community no longer tolerates its reckless behavior.

 

UANI is launching its GAO Campaign in response to the August 2011 GAO report, which documented the involvement of 16 firms currently active in Iran's oil, gas, or petrochemical sectors. UANI will pressure these 16 firms to end their irresponsible business in Iran and call on lawmakers to enforce sanctions against firms that continue to invest and Iran's oil, gas and petrochemical sectors.

 

UANI requests a response from Daelim by October 21, 2011, regarding its existing and future business plans in Iran.

 

Click here to read UANI's letter to Daelim.

Click here to send a message to Daelim.

 

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