BlackRock chief repeats Trump and Israeli narratives in war against Iran

The top man at BlackRock, the company facing accusations of complicity in the Israeli genocide against Palestinians, has repeated familiar US and Israeli narratives against Tehran in the current war on Iran, in comments that may again resurrect a campaign in Malaysia to prevent the firm from acquiring further major assets.

BlackRock CEO and co-founder Larry Fink said Iran "remains a threat", accusing the country of disrupting harmony in the Gulf.

"A threat to trade, a threat to the Strait of Hormuz, a threat to the peaceful coexistence of the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] region," he told Fortune magazine when asked about the implications of the war for the global economy.

He further suggested that Iran’s leadership was an "exporter of fear" and an obstacle to international trade.

"We’ll have global recession. Think about what it means for agricultural prices; fertilisers is a by-product from gas. It really disrupts a lot of supply chains."

In another interview with Spanish newspaper El País on March 31, Fink echoed President Donald Trump's frequently repeated narrative: "Now, if the war ends, will it mean that Iran will cease to be a country that exports hostility and spreads instability throughout the region?" he replied to a question about the impact of the war on financial assets, which is central to BlackRock's significant growth in multiple countries.

Fink ignored the four decades of sanctions imposed by Washington on Iran, and at one point repeated the familiar myth that Iran was better off before the 1979 revolution that overthrew the brutal Shah monarchy.

"One of the leaders of one of the Gulf countries told me last week that, in 1979, Iran was much wealthier than Qatar, Saudi Arabia or the UAE. The regime has done a terrible job for its citizens," he added.

When reminded that it was the US and Israel who attacked Iran, Fink defended the Trump administration's handling of the war.

"Yes. And the United States is taking responsibility. That’s why it has presented a plan to achieve peace."

The paper again challenged Fink, citing the US kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and threats to annex Greenland.

Fink: I’m not going to answer that. I’m not here to talk about politics.
Question: Are American business leaders and executives afraid to talk about their country’s policies?
Fink: I don’t want to continue the interview talking about politics.

BlackRock was at the centre of a storm in Malaysia over a move to allow its subsidiary, Global Infrastructure Partners, to join a consortium to take ownership of Malaysia Airports (MAHB), a government-owned firm that operates all of Malaysia's airports.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also finance minister, refused to back down from his decision to sell the government's shares to GIP, despite critics reminding him of BlackRock's complicity in Israeli war crimes.

Pro-Palestinian groups and opposition leaders have repeatedly warned Anwar against the deal, saying it contradicts his statements condemning Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

In a joint appeal led by the Malaysian chapter of the global anti-Israel boycott movement Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), they urged Anwar to cancel the deal.

"The situation is straightforward and widely understood: a Zionist entity is conducting a settler-colonial and racist genocide in Gaza. To halt this atrocity, those opposing genocide must act collectively to disrupt the systems enabling such crimes against humanity," they said.

Anwar then defended the deal, stating that the government could not cut ties with companies that have ties to Israel because it would "harm the country's economy".