ADDITIONAL EU DESIGNATIONS OF IRANIAN ENTITIES AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 002875

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, EUR, EEB, ISN, AND P

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2017
TAGS: MNUC KNNP PARM IR EU AU
SUBJECT: ADDITIONAL EU DESIGNATIONS OF IRANIAN ENTITIES AND
INDIVIDUALS: AUSTRIA STILL DISCUSSING INTERNALLY

REF: STATE 160808

Classified By: Econ/Pol Counselor Dean Yap for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) On November 29, EconPol Counselor and EconUnit Chief
delivered reftel points to Thomas Baier, Head of the MFA's
Multilateral International Law Division, and to Yvonne
Desmedt-Tonic from the MFA's Energy and Nuclear Safety
Division. Emboffs urged the GoA to support EU designation of
additional Iranian entities and individuals, particularly
Bank Melli, Bank Saderat, and Iran's Ex-Im bank.
Desmedt-Tonic said that the MFA had drafted a position paper
for the November 30 COMEM meeting, but the GoA position was
still under discussion internally. Baier acknowledged that
the UNSCRs required and that the Common Position of April 23
2007 allowed for the designation of additional entities and
individuals. Austria would go to Brussels to listen to other
Member States, including their arguments why particular
entities should be included on the designation list.
Desmedt-Tonic noted that the GoA had already received similar
demarches from "other countries."


2. (C) EconPol Counselor followed up with French Embassy DCM
van Rossum who said that France had demarched the MFA's
Acting Middle East and Africa Director (and COMEM delegate)
on this subject on November 28. Van Rossum added that he had
shared information that demonstrated a link between the
Iranian banks in question and UN-sanctioned Iranian entities.
He confirmed that the Austrians did not a priori oppose
adding new entities to the list; the GoA was more interested
in receiving hard evidence that Bank Melli, Bank Saderat, and
the ExIm bank were linked to previously designated entities
and actively engaged in non-proliferation activities.
Kilner