Updated 2012-01-23 18:19. Published 2012-01-23 11:28 

Suspicions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons has turned into the penalties of banning the oil imported from Iran to the EU countries.

As of January 24 will be prohibited to import Iranian oil and other petroleum products. EU (European Union) is Iran’s second largest oil customer after China.

 Germany’s foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said the EU had no choice but to step up sanctions.
“Iran’s development of an atomic bomb is unacceptable,” he said. “It’s not only a security issue for the region but also for the entire world.


“the ministers (EU leaders) met in Brussels sailed American, British and French ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for the world’s oil shipments. but it has come to a time when Iran has threatened to block the strait if the country’s oil supply is disrupted. 

Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (M) believes that the risk of a blocking the strait is relatively small, but he sees other risks: – The risk that we simply slide into confrontation that may ultimately end up in war – and where no one of us wants to be.

Therefore, we must on the European side try to activate the negotiating track, said Bildt. It has been difficult for the 27 EU countries to agree on how sanctions should be implemented. Several EU countries, notably Greece, Italy and Spain who buys a lot of Iranian oil, have wanted to have time to find replacement oil. 

 New oil contracts will be banned immediately and existing contracts will be honoured until July.
A representative of Iran’s powerful expert guidance immediately threatened to shut off the oil taps immediately. It would be an additional problem for the crisis in Greece today, with no economic margins to buy new, more expensive oil from elsewhere. Iran has offered its oil at very favorable terms. – One can only hope that there is now a willingness to help Greece with credit, so that they can manage their energy supplies, said Bildt. 

There is a risk that sanctions will not hurt so much, that Iran without much trouble can sell their oil to other countries, particularly in Asia. – As long as Iran produces oil, it will find outlets anywhere, think Bildt. Russia does not believe that sanctions will get Tehran to change its policy. Instead, “sorry and worried about” Moscow of the EU sanctions, which also involves the freezing of the Iranian Central Bank’s assets in the EU and to more people and businesses are set up on the sanctions list.
This news article was taken from www.dn.se