(AP) PARIS — France is calling on its allies to stop buying Iranian oil in order to pressure the regime to halt its nuclear activities.
The call Monday night came after the U.S., Canada and Britain announced they were imposing new economic sanctions on Iran in the wake of a U.N. nuclear agency report suggesting Iranian work toward the development of atomic weapons.
A statement from President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said France is asking those countries — as well as Japan and the European Union — to impose "unprecedented" sanctions, including freezing the assets of Iran's central bank and suspending the purchase of Iranian oil.
The statement said France also is talking with countries in the region about its proposed oil sanction.
