Sanctions on Iran
Foreign Minister Bob Carr today announced implementation of Australian sanctions on Iran, including trade in oil, petroleum, gas, financial services and precious metals.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr
Senator Carr said the sanctions were necessary following the failure of the Iranian Government to engage constructively with the international community on its nuclear program.
“These sanctions aim to increase pressure on Iran to comply with nuclear non-proliferation obligations and with United Nations Security Council resolutions,” Senator Carr said.
“By introducing these sanctions – alongside others such as those of the European Union – we seek to bring Iran back to serious negotiations.”
Australia’s new sanctions would take effect under the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 to restrict dealings with Iran’s oil, gas, petroleum and financial sectors; and trade in gold, precious metals, diamonds and new Iranian currency.
The sanctions measures targeting Iran’s financial services sector prohibit:
- Any Iranian financial institution setting up in Australia, and any Australian financial institution setting up in Iran;
- Any commercial relationship between Australian and Iranian financial institutions; and
- Trade with Iranian Government entities in gold, precious metals, diamonds and new Iranian currency.
They are in addition to Australia’s existing arms embargo and financial and travel sanctions on individuals and entities.
The President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Dr Danny Lamm, said he was “concerned by the contradictory messages the Australian government is sending about Iran”.
Dr Lamm commended the government for introducing further autonomous sanctions against Iran prohibiting trade in oil, petroleum, gas, financial services and precious metals. “These additional sanctions send a strong message that Australia disapproves of the behaviour of the regime in Iran in connection with its nuclear program” according to Dr Lamm.
But by agreeing to send two Australian government representatives as observers to the forthcoming Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran, Dr Lamm said that the government was sending the opposite message. “If representatives of the Australian Government attend the Summit in Tehran, even as observers, the government will be sending a message that it implicitly accepts the Iranian regime as a fit and proper host,” Dr Lamm said.
“A regime that threatens to wipe one of its neighbours off the map, systematically violates its treaty commitments, and sponsors terrorist groups around the world, should not be given any form of legitimacy, even indirectly, by a self-respecting democracy like Australia, ” Dr Lamm added.
This “Johny come-late” “measures” at a considerable time distance from the far more draconic USA measures, come at a realistic juncture when Israel, USA and some European quarters are seriously considering military options.
Bob Carr is peddling an “initiative” that has been deemed dead in the water with all those states that take the Iranian nuclear threat seriously.In any case most of the goods listed are of no real effect. What with agricultural, wheat for instance, products or any other type of industrial products !!?? Why leave out anything at all ?? The non-sense about not wanting to hurt the Iranian people does not stand. Either you boycot a regime or you don’t. I love the idea of no more diamonds….
It is so evidently farcical of Senator Carr to present this as a realistic policy, but in the main to call for “negotiations” which, in realistic terms, is a delay tactic which is far more to the avdantage of Iran than to its detriment.
One wonders how stupid does Bib Carr reckons the general public is and how incredibly “smart” he reckons that he is .
A policy and an attitude with no legs, or any thinking body parts either.