Bosnian company defamed for selling Aluminium Oxide to Iran’s nuclear programme

Fahrudin Radoncic, Bosnian Security Minister published on 16th March’20 that a Bosnian company had discussed with officials at the Iranian embassy in Sarajevo for the possibility of selling aluminium oxide powder to Tehran in breach of US and EU sanctions.

According to reports from Bosnia: “the Executive Directors of a company called Alumina spoke to the Iranians about arranging the purchase of aluminium oxide powder that could have been used in Tehran’s nuclear programme.”

Another report that came out from Bosnia discloses: “the export would have had to have been arranged through companies from Turkey and Pakistan so that Alumina would not be formally associated with the end customers in Iran.”

The accused company which is known as Alumina, based in the eastern town of Zvornik in the country’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity and the company has denied any wrongdoing.

Radoncic travelled to Republika Srpska’s main city of Banja Luka on 13th March’20 to inform the Serb member of the tripartite Bosnian Presidency, Milorad Dodik after the Bosnian security services received and verified the information.

Radoncic told: “I presented Mr Dodik with the information available to us and our international partners, and I must tell you that he, as a member of the presidency, reacted very responsibly.”

He also added: “He immediately demanded that they [his staff] connect him with officials from that company and very directly and specifically forbade that company from having any business with that country [Iran].”

 “I was informed that there were some contacts [between Alumina and the Iranian embassy]. Knowing that America has imposed sanctions against Iran, we have no reason to risk anything, and I called the Alumina director and told him to cut off all those contacts. The job [sale of aluminium oxide to Iran] was never completed,” Dodik said.

Radonic also discussed the issue with Iran’s ambassador to Sarajevo on 9th March’20.

 “I warned him that Bosnia is pursuing a security and sanctions policy against Iran in line with the foreign policy of the EU and our largest strategic partner, the US government,” he said.

“God forbid that that cooperation continued. We would have jeopardised our vital national interests because we could have been subject to sanctions,” he added.

The management of Alumina made public that: “not a single kilogramme of goods produced by Alumina has been sold directly to Iran or indirectly through other countries, as the media have speculatively stated”.

 It has been admitted from the representatives of Alumina that the company had a meeting with the representatives of the Iranian embassy.

 “Truth is told, we are announcing to the public that after a series of requests from the Iranian Embassy’s economic department in Sarajevo for a meeting with Alumina, Alumina’s marketing team had a meeting with the Deputy Ambassador for the Economic Sector,” it said.

Alumina told the Iranian officials that “Iran is under sanctions and that it is not possible to establish business cooperation with companies from that country. There is written evidence of this.”