Pedaling Peril

In March, the US Government Accountability Office issued it report on Firms Reported in Open Sources as Having Commercial Activity in Iran's Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Sectors [GAO-10-515R March 23, 2010]. The report noted the following companies as still doing business in Iran:

Japan’s INPEX Corp.and JGC Corp; Austria's OMV AG, Brazil's Petrobras and China National Pertoleum Corp. and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. from China. Also on the list were Total SA from France, Eni SpA from Italy, Russia's Gazprom and Lukoil, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. from South Korea, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC.

This week the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a full committee hearing May 12th on "Iran Sanctions: Why Does the U.S. Government Do Business With Companies Doing Business in Iran?" with Congressman Ted Deutsch, U.S. House of Representatives; Joseph A. Christoff, Director, International Affairs and Trade, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Danielle Pietka, Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, AEI for Public Policy Research. 

Following the hearing, there will be a number of programs exploring the issues brought up by the nuclearization of Iran and pending legislation to toughen sanctions against companies doing business with Iran (Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act, H.R. 2194 and S. 908).
  

PEDDLING PERIL: HOW THE SECRET NUCLEAR ARMS AMERICA’S ENEMIES. 5/13, 10:00am-Noon, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Speakers: David Albright, President, Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS); Dr. Matthew Kroenig, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University Department of Government; Dr. Catherine Lotrionte, Assistant Director, Georgetown Institute for Law, Science, and Global Security; Williams Reinsch, President, National Foreign Trade Council; Edmund Rice, Senior Professional Staff Member, House Foreign Affairs Committee. 

WORLD WITHOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS: SOUND POLICY OR DANGEROUS ILLUSION. 5/13, Noon-2:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: American Society of International Law (ASIL). Speakers: Amb. Thomas Pickering, Former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs; Frank Gaffney, Former Assistant Defense Secretary for International Security Policy. 

EXPORTING THE BOMB: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND THE SPREAD OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS. 5/14, Noon-1:30pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Wilson Center (WWC). Speaker: Matthew Kroenig, Assistant Professor, Department of Government, Georgetown University.

GETTING SANCTIONS RIGHT: PERSPECTIVES ON THE IRAN SANCTIONS LEGISLATION. 5/12, 9:00-10:30am, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Global Business Dialogue. Speakers: William Reinsch, National Foreign Trade Council; Catherine Robinson, NAM; Christopher Wenk, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; L. Charles Landgraf, Dewey & LeBoeuf.