Hyundai
Photo: AP
In response to the New York-based organization United Against Nuclear Iran
(UANI) campaign, South Korean automaker Hyundai ended its business in Iran
this week.
Hyundai had exported vehicles to Iran and the Iran Khodro Group, which is controlled by the Iranian regime, had manufactured Hyundai vehicles, UNAI's website stated.
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UANI was founded in 2008 by Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Former CIA Director Jim Woolsey and Middle East expert Dennis Ross.
According to their website, "UANI's unprecedented success in pressuring multinational corporations to cease business in Iran has alerted the business community of the serious financial and reputational risks of doing business with the Iranian regime. Owing to UANI's efforts, companies worldwide have been spurred to cut their business ties to Iran."
Hyundai is the second automobile company to end its business with Iran, after last week the influential US anti-Iran lobby group called on General Motors and Peugeot to shut down Peugeot's Iran business due to Tehran's suspect nuclear program.
UANI said GM's new investment in PSA Peugeot Citroen should be investigated to see if it violates US sanctions on Iran, because of Peugeot's strong market position in the country.
GM and Peugeot both said Peugeot had already halted its shipments to Iran of car components used for assembling final vehicles.
UANI has previously held a campaign against New York hotels which accommodated Iranian Presidentd Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before speaking to the General Assembly in 2011. Now the group has a campaign against big automobile manufactures in business with the Revolutionary Guards.
UANI was successful in putting a stop to business between 24 major companies and oil manufactures including Siemens and Japanese technology conglomerate Hitachi.
AFP contributed to this report