A German firm’s technology was purchased by Iran and later used in chemical attacks carried out against civilians by the Assad regime in Syria, Benjamin Weinthal reported in The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
Germany’s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control approved a license for Krempel, a company located near the southern city of Stuttgart, to sell electronic press boards to Iranian companies that were used in the production of rockets.
The rocket debris, with the company logo of Krempel and the product signature: “Made in Germany,” was subsequently found after two poisonous gas attacks, on January 22 and February 1, that injured dozens of Syrian civilians, including many children.
Krempel confirmed the delivery of the electronic technology and a spokesman told the German newspaper BILD that the company was “shocked… that its Pressspan PSP-3040 apparently was used in motors that were applied to weapons of war.”
German exports to Iran increased in 2017 by 19%, worth just under €2.4 billion ($2.96 billion) in export volume, making the country the Islamic Republic’s most important trading partner in the European Union.
Multiple German intelligence reports revealed that Iran sought chemical and biological weapon technology in the federal republic. In 2016 alone, Iran made more than 30 attempts to obtain illicit nuclear and missile goods from Germany.
In June 2016, an intelligence report from the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, where Kremple is located, stated: “Regardless of the number of national and international sanctions and embargoes, countries like Iran, Pakistan and North Korea are making efforts to optimize corresponding technology.”
The report revealed that Iran sought “products and scientific knowhow for the field of developing weapons of mass destruction as well missile technology.”
The Assad regime first used poisonous gas to attack the Damascus suburb of Ghouta in 2013, killing nearly 1,500 civilians, including 426 children. According to experts, Iran was crucial in helping Syria develop its chemical weapons program. In June 2016, Bashar al-Assad reportedly visited an Iranian-run chemical weapons and missile production facility.
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