Iran–Switzerland relations
Encyclopedia
Iranian-Swiss relations are foreign relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran
and Switzerland
.
Switzerland has had a consulate in Tehran
since 1919 which was raised to the status of embassy in 1936 and also represents the interests of some countries including United States and South Africa in the Iranian capital Tehran.
, the Shah of Iran
attended Institut Le Rosey
, a Swiss
boarding school
, completing his studies there in 1935.
" of the United States
in Iran after the Iranian Revolution
of 1979.
received medical treatment in Switzerland, while Swiss companies were doing multi-billion dollar business with Iraq
at the same time. After the severe earthquakes of 1997 and 2003, Switzerland helped to rebuild the infrastructure. Cooperation on the national level to prevent natural catastrophes was initiated in 2006.
, an Iran
ian politician and cleric who served as a member of the 3rd Assembly of Experts
of the IRI and as the Minister of Intelligence of Islamic Republic of Iran in cabinet of President Hashemi Rafsanjani was charged by a Swiss court with masterminding the assassination of Kazem Rajavi
, a brother of Mujahedin-e Khalq leader Massoud Rajavi
, near Geneva
in broad daylight by several agents on April 24, 1990.
was detained in Iran on charges of espionage. He was later released by the Iranian authorities after the firm paid a 1 million dollar bond. Soon after Buehler's release Crypto AG dismissed him and charged him the $1m. Swiss media and the German magazine Der Spiegel
took up his case in 1994, pursuing the question of whether Crypto's machines had in fact been rigged by Western intelligence (namely the NSA
).
is a Swiss engineer, connected with the Khan network trafficking in the proliferation of nuclear materials and know-how to Pakistan, Iran
, Libya, and North Korea. He has been connected in particular with gas centrifuge
s used for isotopic enrichment of uranium. In May 2008, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Pascal Couchepin
announced that the Tinner files
, believed to number around 30,000 documents, had been shredded. It is alleged that this was a cover-up, to hide the involvement of Urs Tinner with the CIA.
arrested Marcos Kaemph, the Swiss diplomat acting as the First Secretary of the US Interests
, on sex charges
.
, Iran described the Swiss vote as "Islamophobic" and a blow to religious freedom.
(2002). Iran is one of Switzerland's most important trading partners in the Middle East. A trade agreement was signed in 2005 but has not yet been ratified. In 2010, the volume of trade with Iran was about 741 million Swiss francs; Switzerland exported goods for about 700 million francs, and it has imported goods to 41 million Swiss francs. The main goods exported by the Switzerland are pharmaceutical products, machinery and agricultural products.
reportedly valued at 18 billion euros. Starting with 1.5 billion cubic meters per year in 2010, to be increased to 4 bcm by 2012. This contract has been signed between the Switzerland's company of Elektrizitätsgesellschaft Laufenburg (EGL) and the National Iranian Gas Export Company
which will be started practically at the beginning of 2009. There is some skepticism that Iran will not be able to supply gas to Switzerland for the foreseeable future because no pipeline connects Iran to Europe at present. In February 2010, Iran announced it is ready for gas export to Switzerland.
The deal was aimed at reducing Bern's dependency on Russian gas
. In October 2010, EGL announced the unilateral suspension of the gas contract with Iran following American pressures.
and Glencore
, 2 Swiss-based firms, were also major re-sellers of gasoline to Iran until recently but have since stopped trading with the country. In January 2011, Switzerland expanded the unilateral sanctions following the move by the UN security council.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Switzerland has had a consulate in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
since 1919 which was raised to the status of embassy in 1936 and also represents the interests of some countries including United States and South Africa in the Iranian capital Tehran.
The Shah's education at the Swiss Insitute "Le Rosey"
As a child, Mohammad Reza PahlaviMohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
, the Shah of Iran
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
attended Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey, commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a school, in Gstaad, Switzerland. It is described as one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world. The school was founded by Paul-Émile Carnal in 1880 on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey near the town...
, a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, completing his studies there in 1935.
1979 Revolution
Switzerland becomes the "protecting powerProtecting power
A protecting power is a state which somehow protects another state, and/or represents the interests of the protected state's citizens in a third state....
" of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Iran after the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
of 1979.
Iran-Iraq war
Beginning in 1984, victims of the Iran-Iraq WarIran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
received medical treatment in Switzerland, while Swiss companies were doing multi-billion dollar business with Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
at the same time. After the severe earthquakes of 1997 and 2003, Switzerland helped to rebuild the infrastructure. Cooperation on the national level to prevent natural catastrophes was initiated in 2006.
Murder of Kazem Rajavi
Ali FallahianAli Fallahian
Hojatoleslam Ali Fallahian, is an Iranian politician and cleric. He has served as a member of the 3rd Assembly of Experts of the IRI and as the Minister of Intelligence of Islamic Republic of Iran in cabinet of President Hashemi Rafsanjani...
, an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian politician and cleric who served as a member of the 3rd Assembly of Experts
Assembly of Experts
The Assembly of Experts of Iran , also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by...
of the IRI and as the Minister of Intelligence of Islamic Republic of Iran in cabinet of President Hashemi Rafsanjani was charged by a Swiss court with masterminding the assassination of Kazem Rajavi
Kazem Rajavi
Dr. Kazem Rajavi was a renowned human rights advocate and elder brother of Iranian opposition leader Massoud Rajavi...
, a brother of Mujahedin-e Khalq leader Massoud Rajavi
Massoud Rajavi
Massoud Rajavi , is the president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran and the leader of People's Mujahedin of Iran , an opposition organization active inside and outside of Iran. After leaving Iran in 1981, he resided in France and Iraq...
, near Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in broad daylight by several agents on April 24, 1990.
Crypto AG and espionage case
In 1992, Hans Buehler an employee of Swiss firm Crypto AGCrypto AG
Crypto AG is a Swiss company specialising in communications and information security. With headquarters in steinhausen, the company is a long-established manufacturer of encryption machines and a wide variety of cipher devices...
was detained in Iran on charges of espionage. He was later released by the Iranian authorities after the firm paid a 1 million dollar bond. Soon after Buehler's release Crypto AG dismissed him and charged him the $1m. Swiss media and the German magazine Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
took up his case in 1994, pursuing the question of whether Crypto's machines had in fact been rigged by Western intelligence (namely the NSA
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
).
Friedrich Tinner, the Iranian nuclear program and the CIA
Friedrich TinnerFriedrich Tinner
Friedrich Tinner, also known as Fred Tinner; Born 1937, is a Swiss nuclear engineer and a long-associated friend of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan— Pakistan's former top scientist— and connected with the Khan nuclear network trafficking in the proliferation of nuclear materials and centrifuge designs to...
is a Swiss engineer, connected with the Khan network trafficking in the proliferation of nuclear materials and know-how to Pakistan, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Libya, and North Korea. He has been connected in particular with gas centrifuge
Gas centrifuge
A gas centrifuge is a device that performs isotope separation of gases. A centrifuge relies on the principles of centripetal force accelerating molecules so that particles of different masses are physically separated in a gradient along the radius of a rotating container.A prominent use of gas...
s used for isotopic enrichment of uranium. In May 2008, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Pascal Couchepin
Pascal Couchepin
Pascal Couchepin is a Swiss politician, former member of the Swiss Federal Council and President of the Confederation in 2003 and 2008...
announced that the Tinner files
Friedrich Tinner
Friedrich Tinner, also known as Fred Tinner; Born 1937, is a Swiss nuclear engineer and a long-associated friend of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan— Pakistan's former top scientist— and connected with the Khan nuclear network trafficking in the proliferation of nuclear materials and centrifuge designs to...
, believed to number around 30,000 documents, had been shredded. It is alleged that this was a cover-up, to hide the involvement of Urs Tinner with the CIA.
Swiss diplomat arrested on sexual charges
In February 2009, the Iranian policeMilitary of Iran
The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran include the IRIA and the IRGC and the Police Force .These forces total about 545,000 active personnel . All branches of armed forces fall under the command of General Headquarters of Armed Forces...
arrested Marcos Kaemph, the Swiss diplomat acting as the First Secretary of the US Interests
Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the United States
The Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the United States is a part of the embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C., and is the de facto diplomatic representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the United States....
, on sex charges
Sexual misconduct
Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature. The term may be used to condemn an act, but in some jurisdictions it has also a legal meaning....
.
Human rights dialogue and the 2009 Swiss vote on minarets
The two countries have been engaged in a human rights dialogue since 2003 and in discussions on migration since 2005. Following a constitutional amendment banning the construction of new minarets in Switzerland in 2009Minaret controversy in Switzerland
The minaret controversy in Switzerland refers to construction of minarets, which has been subject to legal and political controversy in Switzerland during the 2000s and a Swiss referendum regarding this issue. In a November 2009 referendum, a constitutional amendment banning the construction of new...
, Iran described the Swiss vote as "Islamophobic" and a blow to religious freedom.
Trade agreements
There are agreements between the two countries on air traffic (1954, 1972 and 2004), road and rail transport (1977), export risk guarantees (1966), protection of investments (1998) and double taxationDouble taxation
Double taxation is the systematic imposition of two or more taxes on the same income , asset , or financial transaction . It refers to taxation by two or more countries of the same income, asset or transaction, for example income paid by an entity of one country to a resident of a different country...
(2002). Iran is one of Switzerland's most important trading partners in the Middle East. A trade agreement was signed in 2005 but has not yet been ratified. In 2010, the volume of trade with Iran was about 741 million Swiss francs; Switzerland exported goods for about 700 million francs, and it has imported goods to 41 million Swiss francs. The main goods exported by the Switzerland are pharmaceutical products, machinery and agricultural products.
2007 gas contract
In the year 2007, Iran and Switzerland signed a major 25-year gas contract to export over 5 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the Persian GulfPersian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
reportedly valued at 18 billion euros. Starting with 1.5 billion cubic meters per year in 2010, to be increased to 4 bcm by 2012. This contract has been signed between the Switzerland's company of Elektrizitätsgesellschaft Laufenburg (EGL) and the National Iranian Gas Export Company
National Iranian Oil Company
The National Iranian Oil Company , a government-owned corporation under the direction of the Ministry of Petroleum of Iran, is an oil and natural gas producer and distributor headquartered in Tehran. It was established in 1948...
which will be started practically at the beginning of 2009. There is some skepticism that Iran will not be able to supply gas to Switzerland for the foreseeable future because no pipeline connects Iran to Europe at present. In February 2010, Iran announced it is ready for gas export to Switzerland.
The deal was aimed at reducing Bern's dependency on Russian gas
Russia in the European energy sector
Russia has a significant role in the European energy sector as the largest exporter of oil and natural gas to the European Union. In 2007, the European Union imported from Russia 185 million tonnes of crude oil, which accounted for 32.6% of total oil import, and 100.7 million tonnes of...
. In October 2010, EGL announced the unilateral suspension of the gas contract with Iran following American pressures.
International sanctions
Switzerland and Iran have greatly reduced their bilateral economic cooperation since the UN Security Council took up Iran’s nuclear enrichment program in 2005. The Swiss government has been cooperating with the U.S. to freeze banking accounts and other financial assets belonging to individuals involved in the Iranian nuclear program; Switzerland has also committed to block the sale of dual-use items. VitolVitol
The Vitol group is an energy trading company founded in Rotterdam in 1966. Vitol operates worldwide and, along with Glencore and Trafigura, is one of the world's top three crude oil traders. Vitol's headquarters are located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Geneva, Switzerland...
and Glencore
Glencore
Glencore International plc is a multinational mining and commodities trading company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland and with its registered office in Saint Helier, Jersey...
, 2 Swiss-based firms, were also major re-sellers of gasoline to Iran until recently but have since stopped trading with the country. In January 2011, Switzerland expanded the unilateral sanctions following the move by the UN security council.
See also
- Foreign relations of SwitzerlandForeign relations of SwitzerlandThe foreign relations of Switzerland are the primary responsibility of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs . Some international relations of Switzerland are handled by other departments of the federal administration of Switzerland.-History:...
- Foreign relations of IranForeign relations of IranForeign relations of Iran refers to inter-governmental relationships between Iran and other countries. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the newly-born Islamic Republic, under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini, dramatically reversed the pro-Western foreign policy of the last Shah of Iran,...
- Pizza Connection TrialPizza Connection TrialThe Pizza Connection Trial was one of the longest criminal jury trials on record in the district of Manhattan. It took place between October 24, 1985 and March 2, 1987-Scope of the trial:...
External links
- Iran–Switzerland relations – American Enterprise InstituteAmerican Enterprise InstituteThe American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...