European Union foreign ministers will recommend additional sanctions on
Iran Thursday including a possible oil import ban, the current draft of their
statement says, according to several diplomats who have seen the document.
The draft is still the subject of negotiations among member state officials and
at least one country has registered significant concerns, the diplomats
cautioned.
Foreign ministers will discuss
Iran
at a
meeting in
Brussels
Thursday. They will release a statement after discussing
Iran
sanctions.
The latest draft says the foreign ministers "agreed to broaden existing
sanctions by examining additional measures" on
Iran
, two
of the people said. This includes measures on
Iran
's
financial, transport and energy sector "including consideration of a
prohibition to import Iranian oil in close cooperation with international
partners," they said.
The draft statement was drawn up by the EU's foreign affairs unit over the
weekend. Negotiations on what action to take will continue throughout the next
48 hours at a series of meetings of member state representatives.
Friday, EU diplomats warned that even if there is a political consensus to
pursue an oil import ban, it could take until late January to negotiate the
details of a ban, which could lift energy prices in the EU.
Several of the region's weakest economies, including
Italy
,
Greek and
Spain
,
import significant amounts of Iranian crude oil.
Greece
has
recently boosted imports of Iranian oil because it is cheaper than the Russian
crude it normally uses, Mediterranean oil traders and shipping professionals
said.
The foreign ministers are expected to sign off Thursday on additional sanctions
on close to 200 individuals and companies.
The push for wider sanctions comes after an International Atomic Energy report
this month said the agency was "profoundly and increasingly worried"
about Iran's alleged attempt at building a nuclear weapon.
Iran
says
its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Iran
's oil
minister, Rostam Ghasemi, on Monday downplayed the threat of an EU oil embargo,
saying
Europe
has no alternative but to buy Iranian crude,
according to
Fars
news agency.
EU officials say efforts to engage
Iran
diplomatically on its nuclear program have gone nowhere since talks in January.
Meanwhile, EU member states are expected to respond to
Iran
's
decision over the weekend to expel the
U.K.
ambassador, one diplomat said. The U.K. has called the decision regrettable.