Data shows Iran-Germany trade grows

Trade between Iran and Germany rose throughout 2010 despite sanctions imposed on Tehran by the European Union (EU) aimed at restricting business with the country.

Official statistics show trade between the two countries grew last year although major sanctions-hit German groups had to curtail their activities, AFP reported on Tuesday.

German exports to Iran rose 2.6 percent to EUR 3.5 billion (USD 4.7 billion) from January to November 2010, according to provisional figures provided by Germany’s national statistics office Destatis.

Imports from Iran, particularly of crude oil and natural gas, soared 75.5 percent to EUR 807 million while Iranian companies bought mainly machine tools from Germany.

Last year, the EU adopted unilateral sanctions against Iran immediately after the UN Security Council imposed a fourth round of punitive measures aimed at undermining Tehran’s nuclear program.

Western powers, including the US, accuse Iran of following a military nuclear program.

Iranian officials have repeatedly refuted the charges and stressed the peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

Iran has also hit out at the West for adopting double standards on the nuclear issue as it charges Iran with seeking nuclear weapons while turning a blind eye to Israel’s nuclear arsenal.