The European Union is set to boost new UN sanctions against Iran, over its nuclear programme, with extra measures, notably in the key energy sector, diplomats said on Saturday.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday agreed new sanctions against Iran, expanding an arms embargo and barring the country from sensitive activities such as uranium mining.
If a draft text, seen by AFP, is endorsed by the 27 EU nations Europe will go further, particularly in “key sectors of the oil and gas industry with prohibition of new investment, transfers of technologies, equipment and services”.
Iran has the world’s second-largest reserves of natural gas and is OPEC’s second largest oil exporter.
Global energy majors have come under increased international pressure over their activities in the country.
In Brussels on Saturday, US defence secretary Robert Gates said that, according to latest intelligence, Iran could have enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb within three years.
Tehran maintains its uranium enrichment programme is for peaceful civilian purposes, while Western nations have charged that Iran is covertly seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
However the EU draft statement is clear that Iran’s uranium enrichment has “no plausible civilian application”. The new UN measures authorise states to conduct high-sea inspections of vessels believed to be ferrying banned items to Iran and add 40 entities to a list of people and groups subject to travel restrictions and financial sanctions.
The EU’s “accompanying measures” to the UN sanctions will be discussed by European foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.