国际英语新闻：U.S. slaps sanctions on Iranian oil company

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department announced on Thursday it was imposing economic sanctions on a Swiss-based Iranian company connected with Iran's energy sector amid increasing efforts by Washington to tighten grip on the Islamic republic.

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said the United States has placed the Naftiran Intertrade Company, a subsidiary of Iran's national oil company, on a financial blacklist.

He also announced that the United States has successfully persuaded four European oil giants, namely Total of France, Anglo- Dutch Shell, Norway's Statoil and Italy's Eni, from doing business with Iran.

"I am pleased to announce that we have received commitments from four international energy firms to terminate their investments and avoid any new activity in Iran's energy sector," said Steinberg.

He said the newest measures "will raise the cost of Iran's refusal to meet its international obligation" and are "a significant setback to Iran."

On July 1, U.S. President Barack Obama signed a new Iran sanction bill into law, in a bid to stop its nuclear program.

The bill, described by Obama as the "toughest" one ever passed by the Congress, penalize international firms assisting Iran's energy industry and ban U.S. banks from dealing with foreign banks linked to its Revolutionary Guards or nuclear programs.

The measures are seen as aimed at cutting Iran's access to imports of gasoline and isolating it further from the international financial system. Iran, though a major oil producer, heavily relies on imports of refined oil products such as gasoline.

Thursday's move came just one day after the United States imposed sanctions on eight Iranian government officials for " serious human rights abuses against the people of Iran."