University warned after Iranian state media attends event

A Sydney university has been warned about a possible breach of Australian sanctions on Iran over a controversial event held on campus earlier this year, writes Tom Lowrey for ABC News.

The Australian Sanctions Office investigated the event held at Western Sydney University as a possible breach of sanctions placed on PressTV, an English-language state media outlet run out of Iran. In February, the Benevolent Iranian Women’s Association held an International Women’s Day event at the university’s South Parramatta campus, aimed at “addressing misconceptions” about the status of women in Iran. It was attended by independent senator Fatima Payman, who gave an interview to PressTV which was subsequently edited and published on the organisation’s social media channels. Payman later apologised for her comments that suggested Iran was an “incredible place” for women.

The comments were condemned by Australian-based advocates for women in Iran and prompted questions about why PressTV was seemingly operating freely in Australia. Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a political scientist who spent two years detained in Iran, said PressTV’s coverage of the event put “the integrity of the entire sanctions regime into question”.
Full report on the ABC News site