On Thursday, in another victory for the Trump Administration, the German company Krempel, whose material was utilized in Iranian rockets that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad used to gas 21 adults and children, announced it would not deliver material to the Iranian government any more.
As The Jerusalem Post notes, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell has been instrumental in convincing German companies to follow Trump’s lead and separate from Iran. He stated, “Corporations realize that doing business with Iran means funding the IRGC’s terror strategy.”
Krempel spokesman Rainer Westermann said, “Since several months ago, Krempel no longer delivers goods to Iran.” Krempel makes electronic press boards used in the motors of rockets.
The announcement was a switch, as Krempel told The Jerusalem Post last April that it did not intend to terminate doing business with Iran.
The Jerusalem Post reported last April: “After a Syrian photographer found parts made by German company the Krempel Group in the remains of Iranian-produced chemical rockets that gassed Syrian civilians in January and February, the firm rejected on Wednesday new US warnings about the dangers of conducting business with the Islamic Republic … “
When asked whether it had ignored U.S. warnings, Krempel told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday it has continued business deals with Iran, but “Krempel GmbH complies strictly with legal guidelines. In unclear situations, we seek legal advice and apply corresponding measures in order to remain in compliance.” Krempel added that it now “delivers a different presspan (also not a dual-use good) exclusively to a manufacturer (OEM) [Original Equipment Manufacturer] in Iran because we can know the end usage.”
Julie Lenarz, a senior fellow at the Israel Project, fired back at Krempel, asserting:
On Saturday, harrowing footage of children foaming at the mouth, dying in agony from exposure to chemical weapons, flashed across our television screens again. If our politicians want to move beyond empty mantras of condemnation, they can start by punishing the protectors of the murderous Assad regime. Since the nuclear accord was signed with Iran in 2015, European countries and companies have flocked to Tehran for lucrative business deals. The consequences have been grim.
Material sold by Krempel was caught in Iranian chemical rockets deployed against Syrians civilians. And yet the company refuses to stop trading with Iran, hiding behind smug legal truisms.
Last June, Boeing announced it would not deliver aircraft to Iran. A Boeing spokesman stated, “We have not delivered any aircraft to Iran, and given we no longer have a license to sell to Iran at this time, we will not be delivering any aircraft. We did not factor the Iran orders into our order backlog either.”
At roughly the same time, according to an exclusive report from Reuters, a huge Indian energy company cut its oil imports from Iran virtually in half.
In August, Trump won another victory: Germany’s central bank terminated a $400 million cash delivery to Iran. Deutsche Bundesbank had previously worked with the Iranian-owned European-Iranian trade bank (EIH) to end-around sanctions the United States has placed on Iran.