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Japan Says to Reduce Oil Dependency on Iran |
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Thursday, 12 January 2012Japan will take steps to reduce its oil imports from Iran, Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi said on Thursday.
“We want to take planned and concrete steps to further reduce this share, which currently stands at 10 percent,” Azumi said after his meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in Tokyo.
Geithner is on an Asian tour to secure backing from China and Japan for stricter sanctions on the Iranian oil industry in response to Iran’s nuclear program. During his trip to China on Wednesday, Geithner urged officials to cut oil imports significantly from Iran but failed to get the same support.
Geithner praised Japan’s response to the international community’s efforts to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
"We appreciate the support Japan has provided standing with us and the international community."
Western nations suspect Iran, which is already under numerous international sanctions, of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program but Tehran insists it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes.
Geithner said that the Iranian central bank should be cut off from the world financial system and Iran's revenues from oil export should be reduced.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday confirmed that Iran had started enriching uranium to the 20-percent level at its Fordo plant. |
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Ria Novosti
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