German industry group: US Iran call is illegal
An influential German business association said Wednesday Washington's call for companies to stop dealing with Iran is contrary to international law.
The Federation of German Industries, or BDI, rejected "the extraterritorial application of sanctions" and called upon the EU to find a solution to protect European companies from the "unlawful and unilateral" application of US sanctions.
Many in Germany bristled at a tweet Tuesday from US Ambassador Richard Grenell after only hours on the job saying "German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately."
He later defended it as "the exact language sent out from the White House."
BDI says German firms don't want to jeopardize business with the US so there's an "urgent need to effectively protect our companies from the effect of US sanctions."
