United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, issued the following statement Wednesday regarding reports that Peugeot continues to send shipments to its Iranian partner, IKCO:
Once again, we are seeing evidence that Peugeot continues to do business in Iran despite claims by GM and Peugeot that such business has been suspended. Industry data released just this week shows that in the month of May, Peugeot continued to be the top foreign automotive brand produced in Iran, with more than 25,000 units manufactured. It is time for Peugeot and its U.S. partner GM to come clean, and stop working with entities controlled by the Iranian regime and associated with Iran's brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The only responsible course is for Peugeot and GM to fully end their business in Iran—not just for a couple months, but until the Iranian regime stops its sponsorship of terrorism and nuclear pursuits. It is completely unacceptable that GM, which is currently co-owned by U.S. taxpayers, continues to financially partner with a company aligned with a regime that sponsors terrorists and kills U.S. servicemen.
While Peugeot and General Motors (GM) have claimed that Peugeot suspended its Iran business until September, numerous reports out of Iran this year reveal that Peugeot actually has maintained its business in Iran. In the latest report, a source at IKCO stated: "There is not any problem in shipments of Peugeot product parts - shipments of Peugeot are continuing here."
Ambassador Wallace's recent Detroit News Op-Ed, "Why is U.S.-owned GM partnering with company that does business with Iran?," cited evidence that Peugeot has, contrary to its public statements (and those of GM), continued shipments and sales in Iran.
"The GM-Peugeot partnership seems to run afoul of U.S. sanctions," wrote Ambassador Wallace, "and it should be investigated." He called on GM and Peugeot "to take the responsible action of evaluating Peugeot's business in Iran, and putting a complete and final end to it."
According to industry data, Peugeot was the top automotive producer in Iran last month. Peugeot's Iranian partner IKCO inaugurated the production line of the latest Peugeot-based vehicle, the Runna model, in June. Mass production is slated to start with initial production of 50,000 units this year.
UANI launched its "Auto Campaign" in March 2012. In recent months, Hyundai, Porsche, and Fiat ended business in Iran in response to UANI campaigns.
Last month, Ambassador Wallace testified about Iran's automotive industry before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. Ambassador Wallace stated to Congress that: "Peugeot right now is a major actor in Iran, a major manufacturer inside Iran in direct partnership with the IRGC."
UANI has developed model legislation, the DRIVE Act, to force auto manufacturers to choose between American taxpayers and the regime. The DRIVE Act requires automakers to certify they are not engaged in any business in Iran, or engaged in the implementation of any agreement with Iranian entities in order to be eligible for U.S. government contracts or financial assistance.
Click here
to read the Just-Auto
report, "IKCO and Peugeot at loggerheads on Tehran shipments."
Click
here
to read Ambassador Wallace's recent Detroit News Op-Ed, "Why is
U.S.-owned GM partnering with company that does business with Iran?"
Click
here
to read UANI's March 9 letter to GM.
Click here
to read UANI's April 10 letter to Peugeot.
Click here
to read UANI's March 9 letter to Peugeot.
Click here
to send a message to Peugeot and GM.
Click here
to visit UANI's "Auto Campaign" page.
Click here
to read UANI's "DRIVE Act" legislation.
Contacts:
UANI
Nathan Carleton, 212-554-3296
press@uani.com