Australia lifts sanctions against IranMarch 2, 2016 - 13:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Australia followed major world powers by lifting sanctions on Iran on Wednesday, March 2, after confirmation from the United Nations that Tehran had taken steps required to curb its disputed nuclear program, Reuters said. Under changes announced by the Australian government, businesses will no longer need to seek approval for transactions of more than A$20,000 ($14,436) involving entities from Iran. While Australia has suspended some of the sanctions imposed on Iran autonomously in 2008 because of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, some non-nuclear sanctions remain in place, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said in a statement. Sanctions still in force against Iran include restrictions on the transfer of proliferation sensitive goods, the arms and ballistic missiles embargoes and sanctions against some designated persons and entities. Australia's anti-money laundering watchdog AUSTRAC expects reporting entities to scrutinize all payments that are routed via third-party countries to Iran or North Korea, which is also subject to sanctions due to its nuclear program. AUSTRAC says all transactions to those two countries should be considered as "high risk." Iran has always denied its nuclear program was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb. The United States and other countries formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran in January, giving one of the world's major oil producers access to international markets that it had been virtually shut out of for the past five years. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Director General of Ucom takes part in recruiting conference Ralph Yirikian participated in the Recruit Days business and networking conference organized by Move2Career. Ameriabank named Best Bank in Armenia for 2024 by Global Finance Ameriabank has been named the Best Bank in Armenia by Global Finance magazine in its 31st annual awards. Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. Lavrov rejects Armenia’s “defamation” of Russia, CSTO Lavrov decried the Armenian leaders’ “defamation” of Russian soldiers and border guards deployed in Armenia. |