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Norway lifts ban on Iran bond purchases

Politics Materials 18 February 2016 23:38 (UTC +04:00)

Norway says it has allowed its massive pension fund, the world's biggest sovereign wealthfund, to resume Iranian government bond purchases following the removal of sanctions against Tehran, Press TV reported.

The Scandinavian country puts most of its oil revenues into the fund, which is worth nearly seven trillion kroner (735 billion euros, USD 814 billion), to raise money for pensions and other government expenses.

Iran had been denied the fund since January 2014 due to international sanctions slapped over its nuclear program.

On January 16, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany started to implement a nuclear agreement they had concluded in July 2015.

After the agreement went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the UN Security Council and the US were lifted.

Following the removal of anti-Iran sanctions, the Norwegian Finance Ministry said in a statement that it would lift restrictions on trade with Tehran

"Therefore the finance ministry, in agreement with the foreign ministry ... has decided that restrictions concerning trade in Iranian government bonds should be lifted," it said.

Norway is one of the richest countries per head of population.

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