Legal Action Against Three Germans for Exporting Equipment Related to Iran's Nuclear Program

The German judiciary has pursued three citizens of the country for allegedly exporting certain equipment to a company linked to Iran's nuclear program. According to the Associated Press, the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Germany announced on Tuesday, April 6, that these three Germans are being prosecuted for sending a number of "valves" to a company that was once responsible for constructing the Arak heavy water reactor. The three Germans, identified by the initials L.B., R.L., and R.C., are accused of violating export laws and attempting to breach arms control regulations. The German prosecutor's office stated that the defendants delivered "51 valves" in "two shipments" to Iran during the years 2010 and 2011. English-language news sources have referred to the contents of these shipments as "valves," while the Tasnim news agency, close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, has referred to them as "valves." According to German media, these valves were part of a larger order valued at approximately one million euros. Two of the Germans are accused of misrepresenting the name of the purchasing company to circumvent export controls. Regarding the exported "valves," there is no information about their intended use or the name of the customer, but German officials have stated that the export of this shipment at that time was a violation of sanctions against Iran. Many international sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program were lifted or eased following Tehran's nuclear agreement with world powers, which led to the shutdown and suspension of a large part of its nuclear program. The Arak heavy water reactor was one of the main concerns of world powers regarding Iran's nuclear program, as its reactor had the potential to produce plutonium, which could be used as a material for making nuclear bombs. The core of this reactor was removed following the nuclear agreement and replaced with cement.