(Wall Street Journal) Saeed Ghasseminejad and Emanuele Ottolenghi - Investing in Iranian stocks means, primarily, casting your lot with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated terrorist entity. The IRGC presently controls 21% of Tehran Stock Exchange's market value. Investing in a company controlled by a terrorist organization whose record includes murdering Western military personnel and countless civilians isn't just in bad taste. It can also invite serious consequences under anti-terror regulations. Western investors granted exemptions would still be vulnerable to lawsuits by victims of terrorism and their families. Bureaucratic corruption, legalized state robbery and nonexistent rule of law combine to make the Islamic Republic intolerably risky. Investment in Iran isn't just morally dubious and politically problematic. It's also financially unsound. Mr. Ghasseminejad is a doctoral candidate at the City University of New York. Mr. Ottolenghi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2014-05-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive