Iran Cuts Oil Exports to Spain

Iran has cut oil exports to Spain, Iranian media outlets Al-Alam and Press TV said on Tuesday, quoting unidentified sources.

"Oil exports to Spain have been cut," the Arab-language Al-Alam network said on its website.

If confirmed, the halt of crude to Spain would expand Iran's pre-emptive stoppage of crude sales to the European Union, which is implementing an oil embargo on Iran due to come fully into effect on July 1.

In February, Tehran announced it was stopping all oil exports to Britain and France in a largely symbolic gesture because those countries imported little Iranian crude anyway.

Spain, though, relied on Iran for some 12 percent of its crude imports last year, or around 160,000 barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency.

Al-Alam reported that Iran was also mulling stopping crude exports to Germany and Italy.

The reports of the cut in oil exports to Spain came ahead of talks Iran is to hold on Saturday in Istanbul with world powers over its disputed nuclear program.

The European Union and the United States have been upping sanctions on Iran this year to punish it for activities they fear masks a drive towards nuclear weapons capability -- something Tehran denies it is seeking.