الرئيسية
A senior US official urged South Korea and other countries to reduce
purchases of crude oil from Iran in line with a US-led drive to sanction
Tehran for its nuclear programme.
Robert Einhorn, the State Department's special adviser for
nonproliferation and arms control, made his comments when he held talks
with Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jae-Shin, on Tuesday.
"We are urging all of our partners to help us, to work with us in
putting pressure on the government of Iran to get it to negotiate
seriously," said Einhorn, who arrived Monday for a three-day visit.
"We are urging them to reduce their purchases of crude oil from Iran
and to unwind their financial dealings with the central bank of Iran."
Einhorn, however, also pledged to be "very sensitive" to the economic needs of strong allies.
Highly industrialised South Korea, which imports all its crude, is a
close ally of the United States and 28,500 US troops are based in the
country.
But in the first 11 months of last year, it imported 9.6 percent of its total crude needs from Iran.
As part of a drive to shut down Iran's suspected nuclear weapons
programme, US President Barack Obama last month signed a bill that
imposes tough sanctions against financial institutions dealing with
Tehran's central bank.
purchases of crude oil from Iran in line with a US-led drive to sanction
Tehran for its nuclear programme.
Robert Einhorn, the State Department's special adviser for
nonproliferation and arms control, made his comments when he held talks
with Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jae-Shin, on Tuesday.
"We are urging all of our partners to help us, to work with us in
putting pressure on the government of Iran to get it to negotiate
seriously," said Einhorn, who arrived Monday for a three-day visit.
"We are urging them to reduce their purchases of crude oil from Iran
and to unwind their financial dealings with the central bank of Iran."
Einhorn, however, also pledged to be "very sensitive" to the economic needs of strong allies.
Highly industrialised South Korea, which imports all its crude, is a
close ally of the United States and 28,500 US troops are based in the
country.
But in the first 11 months of last year, it imported 9.6 percent of its total crude needs from Iran.
As part of a drive to shut down Iran's suspected nuclear weapons
programme, US President Barack Obama last month signed a bill that
imposes tough sanctions against financial institutions dealing with
Tehran's central bank.