Ruling on Iranian Participation Preserves U.S. Presence in Standards
Americans can continue to work on international standards committees, even if they include Iranian members, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury, which concluded that such activity does not violate sanctions against the Middle Eastern country.
The department expressed its thoughts on the issue in a letter from Andrea Gacki, assistant director for licensing in the Office of Foreign Assets Control, to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The institute, which accredits standards programs such as AAMI’s, was concerned that if U.S. representatives sat on committees with Iranians, such activity would violate sanctions put in place by the federal government in response to Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran is a full member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and has representatives on 392 committees, including some healthcare-related committees.
American companies also send representatives to ensure they have a voice on international standards that will affect their industry.
Most of Iran’s representatives are chosen by the country’s Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran, a research institute that appears to be under the auspices of the government, according to the letter.
Gacki wrote that the sanctions do prohibit U.S. citizens from participating in any transaction related to Iranian goods or services. However, this doesn’t apply to the exportation of information and informational materials. The sanctions don’t prohibit collaborating on writing materials such as a standard.
Posted: August 22, 2012