Rifle scopes and diving equipment for Ali Khamenei’s Iran
Goods category: Unclear (the exact Goods Control Act list classification at the time of telescopic sights and diving accessories could not be fully reconstructed)
Effect of the proposed War Materiel Act revision
Under the new Article 22b, the Federal Council could depart from all the licensing criteria in Article 22a under vaguely defined ‘exceptional circumstances’. The public would not have to be informed. The Federal Council could add Iran and the United Arab Emirates to Annex 2 by amending the War Materiel Ordinance. This would remove the exclusion criterion based on participation in an armed conflict and make approval the rule. The Federal Council could refuse a licence only in exceptional cases. If a Palestinian recipient state were added to Annex 2 by amending the ordinance, the exclusion criterion based on participation in an armed conflict would also be removed for it and approval would become the rule. Article 18 paragraph 1 would abolish non-re-export declarations in the vast majority of cases. Weapons for Iran, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian territories could thus easily be supplied through a subsidiary or intermediary in a third country. For example, the following states could serve as third countries, having supplied substantial quantities of war materiel in recent years according to SIPRI: United Arab Emirates: United States (9’818 million TIV).
Countries
Companies
Time period
Transit/export in 2007–2008; proceedings in 2014–2017
Sources
- Bundesgericht, 28.01.2016, 6B_14/2015: Zielfernrohre nach Iran und Tauchzubehör in die VAE
- EFK, 20.06.2018, Bericht 17425, S. 36: Neubeurteilung der Zielfernrohr-Lieferungen am 20.10.2017
- NZZ am Sonntag, 05.11.2017, S. 15: Militärgüter für Iran: Strafe von 300 Franken (Lukas Häuptli)