By its own count, the Bush Administration has imposed sanctions at a significantly greater rate than the Clinton Administration. Most recently, the
The most recent sanctions were announced when the State Department published a notice in the Federal Register on Dec. 30 2005. Six foreign firms had “engaged in activities that require the imposition of measures pursuant to section 3 of the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000.” The sanctions under the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 will prohibit the companies from doing business with the
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli did not specify what any of the companies had done wrong, beyond asserting the existence of “credible information” that the companies had transferred equipment or technology in violation of the Iran Nonproliferation Act.
The sanctions on the six firms were widely expected after Bill Gertz of the Washington Times and David Sanger of the New York Times wrote stories about their impending imposition. The anonymous sources in these stories declined to specify the exports, again claiming their classified nature. Indeed, the Bush Administration has preferred sanctions in part because diplomatic efforts, such as demarches, may reveal sensitive intelligence information.
The two Indian chemical companies, Sabero Organics Gujarat Ltd. and Sandhya Organics Ltd., however, have denied doing anything illegal. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna issued a statement that neither firm had violated
This author contacted both companies to determine the exact nature of the exports in question. Their full responses can be found at Arms Control Wonk.com. In sum, Sandhya Organics said it had exported 1.5 metric tons of phosphorus oxychloride (POCl3) to
The implication of the export of these chemicals was subsequently analyzed by export control consultant Scott Gearity. His report, at Export Control Blog, suggests the
Gearity observed that both chemicals are chemical weapons precursors, but controlled via the third, least restrictive CWC list (Schedule 3). According to the Organization for the Prohibition on Chemical Weapons, these types of chemicals are “typically manufactured in very large quantities for legitimate commercial purposes” including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics and the like. Both
The U.S. Iran Nonproliferation Act (INA) provides for sanctions in the event that a company transfers a chemical on the more restrictive Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 CWC lists. The law is silent, however, about Schedule 3 chemicals. (Some Schedule 3 chemicals, including POCl3 and TMP, are controlled by the Australia Group, to which the INA also refers.
The INA, however, allows the
The
Indian news outlets were much more active in pursuing this story than were their American counterparts. And what they uncovered is, at least, intriguing. The head of Sabero Organics, Mohit Chuganee, is a
Dr. Jeffrey Lewis is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs and publisher of Arms Control Wonk.com