Huawei Hid Business Operation in Iran After Reuters Reported Links To CFO (reuters.com) 54
China's Huawei acted to cover up its relationship with a firm that had tried to sell prohibited U.S. computer gear to Iran, after Reuters in 2013 reported deep links between the firm and the telecom-equipment giant's chief financial officer, newly obtained internal Huawei documents show. From the report: Huawei has long described the firm -- Skycom Tech -- as a separate local business partner in Iran. Now, documents obtained by Reuters show how the Chinese tech titan effectively controlled Skycom. The documents, reported here for the first time, are part of a trove of internal Huawei and Skycom Iran-related business records -- including memos, letters and contractual agreements -- that Reuters has reviewed. One document described how Huawei scrambled in early 2013 to try to "separate" itself from Skycom out of concern over trade sanctions on Tehran. To that end, this and other documents show, Huawei took a series of actions -- including changing the managers of Skycom, shutting down Skycom's Tehran office and forming another business in Iran to take over tens of millions of dollars worth of Skycom contracts.
The revelations in the new documents could buttress a high-profile criminal case being pursued by U.S. authorities against Huawei and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of Huawei's founder. The United States has been trying to get Meng extradited from Canada, where she was arrested in December 2018. A Canadian judge last week allowed the case to continue, rejecting defense arguments that the U.S. charges against Meng do not constitute crimes in Canada. A U.S. indictment alleges that Huawei and Meng participated in a fraudulent scheme to obtain prohibited U.S. goods and technology for Huawei's Iran-based business via Skycom, and move money out of Iran by deceiving a major bank. The indictment alleges that Skycom was an "unofficial subsidiary" of Huawei, not a local partner.
The revelations in the new documents could buttress a high-profile criminal case being pursued by U.S. authorities against Huawei and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of Huawei's founder. The United States has been trying to get Meng extradited from Canada, where she was arrested in December 2018. A Canadian judge last week allowed the case to continue, rejecting defense arguments that the U.S. charges against Meng do not constitute crimes in Canada. A U.S. indictment alleges that Huawei and Meng participated in a fraudulent scheme to obtain prohibited U.S. goods and technology for Huawei's Iran-based business via Skycom, and move money out of Iran by deceiving a major bank. The indictment alleges that Skycom was an "unofficial subsidiary" of Huawei, not a local partner.
Re:Huawei dealing with Iran (Score:5, Insightful)
Something about them being a leading sponsor of terrorism and pursuing nuclear weapons.
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When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
When communism comes to America it will call itself capitalism and tell you to give it all your money.
When corportatism comes to America... shit, it's already here
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They should take a page from Trump's book and exit the NPT. Then they'd have as much right as we do to develop new nuclear weapons (which we currently are doing, arguably in violation of Article VI). What would they have to lose? It would arguably put them in a much stronger bargaining position.
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Minus 1, Mods? Really? For making a simple statement of fact? Huh.
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"Then they'd have as much right as we do to develop new nuclear weapons"
Without the agreement they fall under the natural scheme. Right of might. Make no mistake the US doesn't want to be at war with Iran, make no mistake exiting agreements and pursuing that path leads to war prior to success.
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They should take a page from Trump's book and exit the NPT. Then they'd have as much right as we do to develop new nuclear weapons (which we currently are doing, arguably in violation of Article VI). What would they have to lose? It would arguably put them in a much stronger bargaining position.
You mean Iran should exit the NPT as in Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty? I rather doubt it it would have much significance beyond the formality of it. Trump shredded the Iran nuclear deal and then shrieked about how Iran is violating the treaty he just shredded. US diplomats in the UN are still citing articles of that treaty and threatening sanctions based on that treaty even though the US officially scrapped it back in 2018. Staying in the NPT is mostly just about maintaining a little sliver of extra good
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Yes, and the Saudis would be right behind, probably Egypt as well. Let's have nuclear armed religious nutjob states grinning at each other wondering if that last radar blimp was the Big One coming for them.
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Egypt, possibly. But Saudi Arabia has zero uranium reserves. The primary defense against proliferation is controlling supplies of uranium.
You simply can't stop any country with substantial uranium reserves from obtaining HEU stocks except by inspections and an elaborate program of sticks and carrots. If sticks alone worked, then North Korea wouldn't have nuclear weapons.
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Pakistan, India, and North Korea only have nuclear weapons because Pakistan stole the technology from the Israelis, who stole it from France. India stole it from Pakistan. North Korea bought it from Pakistan.
Only the US+UK, and perhaps the Chinese have managed it on their own. It is actually harder than it seems, there are details. Many details. A surprising number of details.
The Soviet Union had moles inside the US+UK effort from the beginning; even where they didn't manage to steal the details, they stole
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Of all the countries that have nuclear weapons, only Israel does not have a uranium mine within its borders. The technology is easy to come by. The fissionables, not so much.
Re: Huawei dealing with Iran (Score:1)
...because Pakistan stole the technology from the Israelis
That's just dumb: the zionists maintain their power by playing nations off against each other; if Israel was the source of Pakistan's nukes, it was by design. Their security is legendary and can safely be assumed to be as effective as your critical thinking skills are not.
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What would they have to lose?
In the northwest part of Iran, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea (lake), the eastern part of that region is traditionally Azeri. The western half of that region is Kurdish. Going south, you have southern Kurdish regions, traditionally with different political leadership than the northern Kurds. From there, following the coast around to southern Iran, you have the Persian people. And then in the east you have Pashtuns.
So, what does Iran have to lose? The people Tehran risk losing control of at least
Re: Huawei dealing with Iran (Score:2)
Considering that 9/11 has Saudi fingerprints all over the place and Saudis were involved in radicalizing for decades relatively peaceful and tolerant Muslim countries, I am finding it hard to believe in Israeli sponsored think tank claims that Iran is or used to be a significant sponsor of terror, much less the biggest in the world.
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No they just keep trying to build those nuclear weapons to use up all equipment and natural resources others might use to make nuclear weapons. This way they can help ensure global peace.
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Odd that you're using a distant historical argument against a people as if it was a controlling fact in the context of current events.
You mean just like America? (Score:2)
We have by far killed more people in their own countries than all of the terrorists in the world combined. Pot, meet kettle.
Re: Huawei dealing with Iran (Score:1)
Let's check ... [archive.org] ... or direclty at your CIA's declassified and FOIA documents, you'd see that the USA is THE leading sponsor of terrorist groups, evil (puppet, then former puppet) dictators, and general shenenigans on the planet. Russia comes second, with about a quarter of that. Then the small fries, including best buddies Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran.
Or if you'd just take a peek at Wikipedia
Did you even know how Iran got its huge army and general shenenigans power in the first place?
By the US s
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Selling Some US Gear to Iran is banned.
China/Huawei may be able to sell to Iran. However, with the US having a ban on Iran, if they see Huawei selling stuff the US doesn't want sold. They can block US sales of their products. As well customers and business partners in the products, may be under investigation to make sure they are not using Huawei as a middle man, for US to Iran.
This will always come down to money. Is keep the US as a customer more valuable than keeping Iran as a customer.
Huawei can say,
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Right or wrong, the US put it into law pretty clearly: "you can do business with Iran, or you can do business with us. Take your pick". Huawei decided for option c and tried to have it both ways. Now they're in hot water with the US and they don't like it.
It makes no s
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Huawei perceived itself as a Chinese (state) corporation and thought only Chinese law applied to it as it was essentially an arm of the Chinese state. It didn't realize that it had became a full multinational company, and the extent of the long-arm of America's law. [wikipedia.org]
Modern multinationals expend vast legal resources to ensure world-wide legal compliance, and in particular, U.S. legal compliance. It is difficult to avoid doing US bank transactions when the company is over a certain size.
The history of Huawe
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China has 0 friends, though. None. They have no friends.
They refuse to buy as much oil from Russia as they ask, which is their #1-7 foreign policy concerns.
They're threatening war with Vietnam, who are on the verge of becoming a US ally.
They've got troops invading India and they've annexed land. They're threatened to annex more land if the Indians continue to make civilian use of any border areas. The current invasion was sparked by the Indians building a road, on their own land. The Chinese say you're not
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I apologize, I forgot.
Pooh Bear, Rocket Boy, and Littlefinger are all friends.
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This is why I don't lie awake at night worrying about China replacing us as the next hegemon. Unless they change their form of government (not expecting it to happen), the only real friends China's going to be able to make are other dictatorships. Tally the list up, and it doesn't make for a world-beating team.
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I just think we should support their decision more fully, and cut off trade with China, and then they can do business with Iran without any impediment.
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So it's mostly a pointless spat that happened long enough ago we'd all just be better off if we put it all aside, but as is almost always the case it's not quite that easy. Two of our biggest allies in the Middle Ea
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Not least the lifting of some sanctions in 2016 as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed by Iran, the USA, China, Russia, France, the UK, Germany and the EU, and the rejection by a number of those parties of the USA's unilateral decision to reimpose sanctions. The situation with US sanctions on Iran is more politically complicated than most sanctions; the only possible exception which immediately springs to mind is US sanctions on Cuba.
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Ummm no... Iran is a sponsor of terrorism and their state sponsored elite military forces actively plan and collaborate in terrorist actions. Militant muslim terrorist groups are bad because are bad, not just because the US says so. They are even bad for non-militant muslim groups. These are hate groups just as sure as the Nazis and the jewish counterparts aren't much better but unlike the muslim groups they don't terrorize Christians and see the US and historically christian western world as evil.
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But its more than just the past decisions.
Basically part of it revolves around WMDs & limiting nuclear proliferation. US intelligence's opinion is that Iran is researching nuclear power and such results can be used for weaponization. But they do not believe Iran is pursuing weapons. Israel is the primary pro-sanctions lead and has stated every year that Iran is making progress to nuclearization.
The Trump administration has basically said that Iran should have stopped uranium research & bought it
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Unless they have an Exemption (ie: humanitarian), companies that do business with the US can not do business with countries/groups under US trade sanctions. This is true for pretty much every country and many times countries co-sign on sanctions... thou individually manage exemptions.
Even if the company is not doing business in or with US jurisdictions, they can not participate in bypassing sanction controls by passing on US goods/services. IE: Windows 10 licenses. Most sanctions are mitigated by indepen
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Doing a run around trade sanctions over state sponsored criminal actions like pursuing nuclear weapons and terrorism... or for any reason really... amounts to a mountain of justification for trade and security related actions the US has pursued with regard to this entity. Other nations will want their own sanctions enforced and respected by partners and while they may or may not be involved in these US sanctions the recognition of a need to deal with Iran and curtail these matters and efforts to do so has
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Complete Ban (Score:1)
Just ban this POS company in the Western World.
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In the eyes of world history, Right now the United States is not the good guy here. We had a deal with Iran, and we broke it, not them. Mostly because the current government wanted to spite the previous government.
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Right... I mean the President is orange and everything.
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Maybe not. Demonstrations are allowed to happen in the U.S. modulo some over-excited police forces and some looters. The latter seems to have quieted down. Now the U.S. is showing the people of Iran, China, and Russia that demonstrations from below can cause their power structure to shake. Those countries' propaganda ministries are now only cranking full bore to drown out any similar stirrings in their countries.
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Americans want to buy their stuff at the price they are selling it.
Many have complex and expensive contracts.
We can just ban them, but it will be like cutting off your left arm, so you can use it to help reach an item on the top shelf with your right arm.
Not really new (Score:5, Interesting)
This is why Meng Wanzhou is in the pot she is in: the violation of US sanctions. And that she was personally involved (via signoff of on funds). ZTE did similar AFTER they were warned multiple times. ZTE paid the penalties and it seems that was the end of it for them.
All that appears to have happened here is that the actual proof has been leaked to the public. Normally this is not done for the company's and ongoing investigation sake. Thou there is already a charge and case so most of this evidence has already been reviewed by the prosecuting party before filing.
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I think that there are multiple levels, one of them simply being that Huawei is a name known to the US press corpse and ZTE is just a bunch of letters that readers can easily confuse with some other acronym. Huawei holds several of the important 5G patents and has been instrumental in creating the 5G standards, which pisses off the technologically moribund US telecom companies. Additionally the morons currently in charge of US international policy think that if they get get a company as important as Hauwe
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...sold tons of "spare parts" to a shell company in Tacna, Peru,...
This hasn't been allowed for a long time. This is basically what Huawei did here. And it is seen as not only violating the sanctions, but also seen as trying to cheat the regulatory bodies. The latter of which results in such bodies & judicial bodies seeking maximum penalties for infractions instead of more lenient behavioral correcting or forgiving ones. This is what happened to ZTE... twice; they just settled three times instead of going to court.
Now if the shell company was completely independen
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I may have to borrow that...
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It was originally a typo, but seemed appropriate so I kept it. Same with Untied States.
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Not really. ZTE is well known to the public because they made cheap cellphones until they were blocked. They made cheap-but-good Android phones and anyone who ever went phone shopping and didn't want an Apple or Samsung would've run across them.
It's just like if you wanted a TV, you'd probably hear of TCL for their really cheap, but surprising
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It isn't that Huawei got caught playing footsie with Iran and thus making the Coward-in-Chief look like a loser, it is that the CinC caused another country to steal a Chinese citizen. It won't be long after she's extradited that China steals an American citizen, or a few just for insurance. There will then be a tense wobbly-kneed press conferences, a prisoner exchange, and loud pronouncements of Peace with Honor (for you old-timers).
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Of course nto really new because the US has a track record of fabricating accusations to achieve malicious [washingtonpost.com] goals [bloomberg.com], and unilaterally acting an international bullying police ignoring the UN or the jurisdiction of the other countries [amazon.com]. It doesn't matter if the accusations will be proven false in the future, because they are tactical weapons and there are no punishments what-so-ever for either the individuals [theintercept.com] or especially the whole country [wikipedia.org], while the wrongly accused targets are greatly harmed [amazon.com].
I hopenit hid business operations in the USA too. (Score:1)
Because that would be truly shameful and dangerous!
Small fish like Iran don't bother me. Look at them. They are pathetic! Nobody can beat the USA! OK, except the USA. :D