News from BICC - 2015
News from BICC - 2015
December 10th 2015: Lord Lamont join forces with Jack Straw to debate the nuclear deal...
October 5th 2015: Click here to download PDF of presentation made by the Tehran Stock Exchange to a BICC Delegation to Iran on 5th October 2015.
Click here to view online version.
September 19th 2015: Iran Daily's Interview with Lord Lamont which in part discusses the BICC's upcoming economic mission to Iran in October.
Click here to read article.
August 26th 2015: There is lots to gain from the UK's new relationship with Iran, says Norfolk MP Richard Bacon.
Click here to read article.
August 23rd 2015: The Guardian reports on reopening of the Iranian embassy in London, BICC Chairman Lord Lamont in attendance. Click here to read article.
International Seminar on Investment Opportunities in Tehran Province
1st August, 2015 - The Sunday Guardian: London eager to re-establish trade with Tehran
On the 27th July 2015, Brick Court in conjunction with the BICC and WLegal, held a discussion on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Click here for a brief overview.
Iran and P5+1 agree a settlement. Click here
We are pleased that Dr Justine Walker, Director Crime (Sanctions and Bribery) at the British Bankers Association, will speak at the BICC Annual General Meeting on Friday, 25th September. Dr Walker has been much involved with banking issues relating to sanctions on Iran. Her experience will be very relevant to Members who have experienced banking difficulties. Full details of the AGM will be circulated nearer the event.
Baroness Cathy Ashton of Upholland has agreed to be our guest speaker at BICC's Annual Dinner on 20th November 2015. Until November 2014, Baroness Ashton was First Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and as such was pivotally involved in the nuclear negotiations with Iran.
1st May 2015 - Following the retirement of Lord Phillips as BICC President, we are pleased to say that Sir Richard Dalton has accept an invitation from Lord Lamont to become BICC President.
Richard was a senior member of the Diplomatic Service until he retired in 2006. He has been Ambassador to Iran and before that was Ambassador to Libya. He is currently and Associate Fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.
He studied Arabic at MECAS in the early 1970's and speaks French. He had postings in Amman, as Head of Chancery in Muscat and, during the early years of the Middle east peace process, as Consul-General in Jerusalem. He was appointed Head of Personnel in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1998, but in 1999 was appointed Ambassador to Libya, when diplomatic relations were resumed after a 17 year break. Between 2003 and 2006 Richard was Ambassador to Iran, when he played a role in the European negotiations with Iran.
Richard is a well-known writer and broadcaster on Libya, Iran and the Persian Gulf.
1st April 2015 - BICC very much welcomes the announcement, late last night, that a nuclear framework agreement has been concluded between Iran and the P5+1.
It is referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Click here for full text of translation of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's official "fact sheet" (from Iran Matters, 03/04/2015).
Click here for full text for the US Department of State version
It is intended that the agreement will be documented by 30th June, but the main components are:
- US and EU sanctions will be lifted following full implementation of the JCPOA.
- Out-of-use centrifuges will be placed in storage and monitored by the IAEA.
- All Iran's nuclear facilities will be subject to regular IAEA monitoring.
- Iran will redesign and enhance the Arak heavy-water reactor so that it cannot produce weapons-grade plutonium.
This is a comprehensive agreement and, subject to documentation, is intended to settle outstanding matters related to Iran's nuclear industry. It is a most important step in the normalisation of relations with Iran. We will be commenting further over the coming weeks.
It is sad to report that Sir Anthony Garner, BICC's first Chairman, died on the 22nd of March. He began his career in the Conservative Party in the late 1940's as Party Agent for the North Western Area. He was brought to Central Office as Head of Operations by Mrs Thatcher, who he had supported in the leadership contest which made her Leader of the Conservative Party. BICC was incorporated in 1997 after Sir Anthony had worked with David Sherlock-Thomas, the other founding director, to secure the government's acquiescence to an organisation to promote trade with Iran. This was at a time of mutually poor relations between Iran and the UK. He is survived by his wife Lady Shirley Garner.
Those of us now involved with BICC owe it to Sir Anthony Garner that we exist and that we are still working towards improved relations with Iran through trade.
On 10th March, the BICC Board met with a delegation of 5 Majlis MPs, from the Iran- British Parliamentary Friendship Group who were visiting London on an exchange visit, Parliamentarians from the UK, including Lord Lamont, who had been to Tehran over a year ago. The delegation was led by HE Dr Abasali Mansouri Arani. Discussion was wide ranging, covering the situation of the nuclear negotiations and the opportunities for UK trade as allowed after a successful negotiation.
The European-Iranian Business Alliance (EIBA) has been formed by BICC together with DIHKEV (of Germany) and CIE (of France) by a Declaration., click here for further details, and here to view The BICC's press release on the matter.