Azerbaijan, Baku, Jun.1/ Trend R.Zamanov
Iraq has stopped importing gasoline from Iran under the pressure of US-generated sanctions against Tehran.
Following implementation of sanctions against National Iranian Oil Company, Baghdad has replaced NIOC with France's Total and Japan's Toyota Tsusho Corporation, the Asriran website reported.
Iranian gasoline exports to Iraq accounted for 25 percent of Baghdad's total gasoline imports.
According to Iraqi media, Baghdad used to purchase $40 million worth of oil products from Iran per month. But under the mounting pressure from Washington, it has stopped its oil trades with Tehran.
The United States in March put two international companies on its blacklist for allegedly helping Iran bypass oil sanctions and slapped penalties on four Tehran-based firms in connection with Iran's nuclear energy program, Press TV reported.
The US Treasury Department announced on Thursday that it has blacklisted the recently formed Sambouk Shipping FZC, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, saying it is linked to Dimitris Cambis, a Greek shipping magnate, who has been accused of helping Iran sell its oil despite the sanctions.
In March, the Treasury imposed sanctions on Cambis and his Impire Shipping Limited, claiming that he secretly operated a shipping network on behalf of Iran to get around sanctions on the country's oil sector. The Greek businessman has denied the allegation.
The western countries claim that Tehran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program with Washington and the European Union using the claim as pretext to impose international sanctions on Iran.
Tehran rejects the allegation against its nuclear energy activities, arguing that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
In November 2012, the US Senate approved another round of sanctions against Iran's energy, port, shipping and shipbuilding sectors. Under the bans, the United States would impose sanctions on anyone selling or supplying certain commodities to Iran - including graphite, aluminum, steel, and some industrial software - that are relevant to the country's shipbuilding and nuclear energy sectors.