Syria chemical attack rockets ‘Made in Germany,’ report says
The rockets used in the recent chemical attacks in Syria that poisoned dozens of civilians, including children, were “Made in Germany,” Bild reports.Following the attacks in East Ghouta, a suburb outside Damascus with a population of 400,000, the remains of Iranian 107-millimeter rockets with the company logo of Krempel and the product signature “Made in Germany” were found at the sites, Bild reported Monday.
The chlorine attacks, which happened January 22 and February 1 and rescue workers say were launched by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, came after the German government’s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) green-lighted a deal for the company Krempel, located near the southern city of Stuttgart, to sell military applicable technology to two Iranian firms in Tehran, the paper reported.
“As Iran’s largest European trading partner, Germany must use its economic leverage to pressure Tehran, not enable it to destabilize the Middle East. By chanting the slogan ‘Let Syria Be, Do Something for Me’ Iranian protesters have made it clear that they don’t support the mullahs’ meddling in Syria. Berlin now has a historic opportunity to side with ordinary Iranians, who desire normal and stable relations with the world,” Peter Kohanloo, the president of the U.S.-based Iranian American Majority organization, told Fox News.
Rainer Westermann, a consultant for Krempel, confirmed to Fox News the sale of the technology “Pressspan PSP-3040,” an insulating material with a cellulose base, to the Iranian companies. The “Made in Germany” technology was discovered by the Syrian photographer Firas Abdullah at the site of the chemical attack.
The two Krempel business partners in Iran are Reza Moghaddam Panah and Mahmood Hasan Darvish Commerce. Krempel engaged in a yearly business of $184,000 with the Iranian companies.
It is unclear if the Iranian companies are owned by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The U.S. government classified the IRGC as a terrorist entity in October.
Bild worked with the research of the human rights group, Syrians for Truth and Justice, and the online investigative journalist website Bellingcat to expose the shocking evidence of “Made in Germany” technology used in alleged Syrian and Iranian regime war crimes. Eliot Higgins, from Bellingcat, told Bild both gas attacks showed that “the rockets were produced in 2016 and delivered from Iran.”
Westermann said Krempel obtained a letter from the German export control agency (BAFA) in January 2015 stating there was no restriction for delivering the material to Iran.
Krempel, which has a U.S. distribution center, said the company has “frozen” business with the two Iranian companies until BAFA clarifies the situation. Westermann said the company is “shocked” that its material was used in chemical warfare. He said, however, that if Krempel cuts ties with its Iranian companies other businesses will deliver goods to Iran.
Chemical weapons are widely considered potent weapons for terrorists and state-sponsors of terrorism, like the Islamic Republic of Iran, because they are inexpensive and cause widespread destruction and fear.
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