Since 1979, Iran has funded and directed Middle-Eastern terrorist organizations and those organizations have murdered hundreds of Americans. U.S. intelligence sources recently stated that Iran supplied the equipment and training used to kill at least 171 of our troops in Iraq. Currently, 22 senior members of the al Qaeda — including Osama bin Laden’s son — are in Iran and there is no evidence to prove they are in custody, despite that regime’s assertions. And Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

Given all that, why would any U.S. company do business with Iran when it continues to murder Americans and poses such an obvious threat to our national security? While our laws prohibit direct trade with Iran, it is taking place by proxy. In this morning’s Washington Times, Frank Gaffney provides an example of what is going on and explains what some states are attempting to do about it:

This week, the Ohio Legislature will hold its second hearing on legislation designed to help the state make a real contribution to America’s triumph in the War for the Free World. It would prevent investment by Ohio’s public pension funds in companies that do business with the terrorism-sponsoring, nuclear weapons- and ballistic missile-building and genocide-threatening Islamic Republic of Iran.

Unfortunately, the Iranian regime and the corporations partnering with it (almost all of them foreign-owned and -operated, since American companies are prohibited from participating directly in such dealings and only a few circumvent that by using offshore subsidiaries) are abetted by a well-heeled Washington lobby: the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC). Its president is William Reinsch, and the effect of its lobbying at the moment would be to keep American taxpayers and pension fund beneficiaries underwriting our enemies through their institutional and personal investments.

Mr. Reinsch had a checkered career prior to assuming his current role as Terror’s Lobbyist. For example, during the Clinton administration, he used his senior position in the Commerce Department to facilitate and excuse China’s acquisition of an array of sensitive and even dual-use technologies, despite restrictions on such transfers.

Now, the former Commerce undersecretary heads a trade council that favors doing business with America’s enemies and runs interference for those determined to do so. In his present role, Mr. Reinsch works to counter citizens and their elected representatives who believe such business dealings are strategically ill-advised and morally repugnant.

Specifically, Mr. Reinsch’s trade association is mobilizing its considerable resources to help public pension fund managers, their Wall Street advisers and state treasurers fight off initiatives like one adopted last year by Illinois. It ended investments on the part of that state’s firefighters, police officers, National Guard personnel and other public employees in companies doing business with the Islamofascist and genocidal regime in Sudan.

Until, that is, Mr. Reinsch and his friends sued to have the law overturned… READ THE REST

In addition, please take the time to learn more about the Center for Security Policy’s Divest Terror Initiative.