EU states have reached an agreement on introduction of an oil embargo against Iran. The only thing that delays the initiative is dependence on Iranian oil, EU Commissioner for Energy Gunther Oettinger said at the 20th World Petroleum Congress in Doha, RBC reports.
Oettinger believes that the embargo would not only unite EU states but other importers of oil, such as the US and Russia. US sanctions against Iran in the oil and gas sphere have been in force since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Many specialists say that a final decision on a ban on Iranian oil is hard to reach. Many European states depend on its supplies, especially on the background of reduced imports from Libya and economic sanctions against Syria. Experts believe that a full embargo would only be imposed if serious diplomatic aggravations should occur.
The US, UK and Canada introduced unilateral sanctions against the energy and financial sectors of Iran on November 21, 2011. France offered new sanctions, such as freezing accounts of the Iranian Central Bank and a halt to Iranian oil purchases.
The reason for the sanctions is a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) saying that Iran has been developing nuclear arms even before 2003.
