VIENNA – Austrian daily WirtschaftsBlatt reported that Pressure from the US is mounting on Austrian companies such as banks and oil and gas major OMV AG, to reconsider their investments in Iran.
An unnamed US government official told WirtschaftsBlatt: "We emphasise to Austrian companies that it is important to really know their clients. The Iranian regime uses companies which are free from sanctions to further develop their nuclear programme".
In June the US warned that OMV could be the target of the first-ever application of the Iran Sanctions Act if the company’s preliminary dealings with Iran led it to invest in the country’s energy sector.
