By IRNA,
Berlin : German companies have reportedly vented their anger over Berlin’s support for European Union sanctions on Iran, according to Thursday’s edition of the business daily Handelsblatt.
Germany’s business community is especially disappointed that the center-right government of Chancellor Angela Merkel had backed the EU’s punitive measures against Iran which go beyond the UN sanctions.
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle who leads the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), had informed the heads of German companies that Berlin would support the disputed EU sanctions.
Germany’s controversial sanction policy against Tehran has repeatedly sparked tensions with German business leaders who are very eager to continue their lucrative trade with Iran.
Merkel’s Iran sanction strategy has been met with fierce resistance by German companies, feeling abandoned by their government in their efforts not to succumb to US and Zionist political pressure.
German firms are outraged over the fact that even legal business deals with Iran which are not subject to UN sanctions, are being torpedoed by Merkel as well the US and the powerful pro-Israel lobby.
That notwithstanding, German companies remain unfazed by Merkel’s policy of discouraging business relations with Iran.
German companies are especially affected by the tightening of the embargo since Iran was the most important export market for Germany in the Middle East and North Africa prior to lauching UN sanctions against Tehran.
Although German firms are determined to maintain their strong business ties with Iran, many Asian and European companies have already replaced them
in the Iranian market.
More than 40,000 German jobs are indirectly affected by German-Iranian trade, according to business insiders.