The coalition STOP THE BOMB strongly criticizes the reception of an Iranian economic delegation, headed by the president of the Iranian Chamber of Trade, Industries and Mines, Mohammad Nahavandian, in Vienna. STOP THE BOMB accuses Austrian companies to expand their activities in Iran while international efforts for tighter sanctions to end the Iranian nuclear program have recently been growing. The reception of Nahavandian in the Austrian Ministry of Economics in Vienna clearly shows that Austria remains a sponsor of the Iranian regime. If his statement in the Austrian daily "Wiener Zeitung" proves correct and the trade volume between Austria and Iran in 2009 adds up to "nearly 600 million Euros", this would mean a 150 million increase compared to last year. STOP THE BOMB activist Hiwa Bahrami of the Democratic Party Kurdistan-Iran calls for Austria’s support of the Iranian freedom movement instead of courting the regime: "It will be hard to find partners in a free Iran in the future for those involved in deals with the present rulers in Tehran."

STOP THE BOMB points to the fact that the idea of continued good business relations has a strong political backing in Austria and is also endorsed by the Austrian-Iranian cultural exchange. In December, the director of the Austrian Cultural Forum in Tehran, Wolfgang Thill, announced to "bring together Austrian and Iranian experts in constitutional law, because the dialogue on different concepts of State is definitely something fascinating." Simone Dinah Hartmann, spokeswoman of STOP THE BOMB, rejects this kind of cynicism: "We are talking about a regime that brutalizes its own population, executes homosexuals, exercises the stoning of women, denies the Holocaust and threatens to eliminate Israel. The theocratic political system of the 'Islamic Republic' with the rule of the 'Supreme Leader' laid down in the constitution is not 'fascinating', but simply inhuman. Especially the increasing power of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran should not be the reason for dialogue, but for harsh sanctions against the regime."