France to stop importing Iranian oil

France will stop importing Iranian oil at a national level as part of a proposal it made to its allies to consider ending purchases from the world's fifth largest producer, the French Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Asked by Reuters whether the French government would force French oil major Total to stop its crude shipping business with Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a written answer, posted on the ministry's website: "The interruption of Iranian oil purchases is among the measures proposed by France to its partners. We will apply this at a national level."

France turned to Iranian oil in the first half of the year to make up for disruption during the Libyan war. Last year, Iran supplied 2.8 percent of French oil imports, or 1.8 million tons.

European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said on Wednesday that a ban on Iranian oil imports to press Tehran to abandon its nuclear activity would not be a problem for the EU. "It can be substituted by OPEC and others," he told Reuters.