American authorities have approached Dutch financial institutions directly for information relating to anti-terrorism investigations, rather than going through official channels, in at least four cases, finance minister Wouter Bos told MPs on Tuesday.

Dutch multinationals are also constant pressure from the US authorities to take part in the informal boycott of Iran, said Bos.
The finance minister said the US has been told to go through the proper channels with requests for information about financial transactions. He has also raised the issue with the European Commission.