AP: Norway imposed economic sanctions on Iran on Friday, in line with a United Nations resolution that reprimands Tehran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, the Foreign Ministry said. Associated Press
OSLO, Norway (AP) – Norway imposed economic sanctions on Iran on Friday, in line with a United Nations resolution that reprimands Tehran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, the Foreign Ministry said.
“It is a routine decision. We are complying with the U.N.’s resolution in the usual manner,” ministry spokesman Bjoern S. Jahnsen said.
Norway, a member of NATO which has opted to stay out of the European Union, is one of the first European countries to adhere to the resolution.
EU foreign ministers have called on all countries to enforce sanctions outlined in the Security Council resolution in December that targeted people and programs linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Foreign ministers of the 27-member bloc were due to discuss the implementation of sanctions on Monday in Brussels, Belgium.
Norwegian officials said the government “has approved today a regulation on sanctions against Iran, which, among other things, forbids the importation and exportation of sensitive equipment and technology that may be used in Iran’s nuclear program.”
It has also ordered the “freezing of capital assets belonging to persons or entities linked to Iran’s atomic program,” the statement said.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to reconsider relations with countries which support sanctions.
Norway, as a major oil exporter, has significant interests in the Persian Gulf’s oil and gas reserves. State-owned Statoil signed an agreement with the Iran in October 2002 on the development of the South Pars oil field — the biggest in the world — which is shared by Iran and Qatar.
