Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PRAGUE1502
2005-10-20 14:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Prague
Cable title:  

NEWS REPORTS OF IRAN TRADE EMBARGO NOTHING NEW TO

Tags:  PREL ETTC EZ IR ERTD 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 001502 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2015
TAGS: PREL ETTC EZ IR ERTD
SUBJECT: NEWS REPORTS OF IRAN TRADE EMBARGO NOTHING NEW TO
CZECHS

REF: PRAGUE 000183

Classified By: Political Officer Scott Harney for reasons 1.4 b+d

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 001502

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2015
TAGS: PREL ETTC EZ IR ERTD
SUBJECT: NEWS REPORTS OF IRAN TRADE EMBARGO NOTHING NEW TO
CZECHS

REF: PRAGUE 000183

Classified By: Political Officer Scott Harney for reasons 1.4 b+d


1. (SBU) A Reuters press report on October 20, which claimed
that Iran has stopped the imports of goods from the Czech
Republic, Britain, South Korea and Argentina, was not new
news to the Czech government. According to the Reuters
report, the Iranians imposed the trade embargo in an effort
to punish the countries for their negative position on the
Iranian nuclear program. However Pavel Mrazek, Iran desk
officer for the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that
this is nothing new and noted that the Iranians imposed an
informal embargo on Czech companies several years ago.
Mrazek said that since this time, the only Czech companies
which could do business in Iran were those that had been
specifically identified by the GOI as offering products the
government needed. Other Czech companies would have their
goods stopped at Iranian customs and no letters of credit
issued to them. Mrazek called it less of an embargo and more
of a harassing technique. Although the Czechs do not see the
latest news on an embargo as something new, they have called
the Iranian Charge d'Affaires to the Ministry, hoping that he
can explain the reasons for the latest announcement.


2. (C) Per reftel, trade relations between the Czech Republic
and Iran have been strained since 1998, when Prague-based
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty launched its Farsi service,
Radio Farda. Trade relations worsened in 2000 after the
Czech Parliament, at the request of the US and UK, used
emergency legislative powers to push through a piece of
legislation that prevented a Czech firm from supplying air
conditioning equipment to the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Czech businesses have recently put pressure on the GOCR,
particularly the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the MFA,
to improve trade ties with Iran. The Czechs have discussed
the possibility of rescinding the 2000 law as a conciliatory
gesture to Iran, however the Foreign Ministry insists that
this is not on the agenda. Ministry of Trade officials
suggest that the recent imposition of an embargo on the UK
and South Korea, if true, may actually help the Czechs, as
they now have stronger allies with which to face the Iranians
on trade issues.
CABANISS