Kenya cancels Iran oil imports over sanctions threat

Nairobi, 05 Jul – (ANA) - Kenya has cancelled plans to import crude oil from Iran following threats of sanctions, an official at the Kenyan energy ministry has said.

The outline deal signed last month was to import about 4m tonnes of oil from the Iranian National Oil Company. But the US embassy in Nairobi had warned it was important to cut revenue to the Iranian government. The US and the European Union have just tightened sanctions on Iran over concerns about its nuclear programme.

"Because of international pressure, we have withdrawn that understanding," AFP news agency quotes Patrick Nyoik, the energy ministry's permanent secretary, as saying. (ANA)

FA/ANA/05 July 2012--------