German company sold missile technology to Iran

Jerusalem Post:

Two leading Germany magazines reported on Saturday that a company is under suspicion of selling weapons technology to Iran.

Der Spiegel said the company is suspected of delivering rocket-building technology to Iran as far back as as 2002. READ MORE

Focus weekly magazine identified the company in question as being called Tira and said its deliveries were intercepted by the intelligence agents of an ally in late 2004 in Dubai.

Both Spiegel and Focus said the German technology was intended for use in Iran's Shahab, or Shooting Star, medium-range missile program that can carry a nuclear warhead and reach Israel and various US military bases in the region.

On Friday federal prosecutors said they were investigating a manager from a defense company in the eastern German state of Thuringia, who had been briefly detained and later released. They identified the man only as 64-year-old Peter K.

Calls to the prosecutors in Karlsruhe went unanswered Saturday, although they refused on Friday to comment on further details.

They said the man held a responsible position at the firm suspected of delivering "vibration test machines" to foreign countries.

Prosecutors said in their statement Friday the company under investigation began deliveries of technology as early as 2001/2002.