WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- British energy companies BP and Royal Dutch Shell told Washington they are no longer selling petroleum products to Iran, the U.S. State Department announced.
The United States and the European Union in July imposed new sanctions on Iran that target the country's energy sector. International energy traders such as Vitol backed out of the Iranian market ahead of the sanctions and Shell in May halted gasoline sales to the Islamic republic.
The State Department published a list of energy companies that have halted or are in the process of halting economic relations with Iran in part because of the sanctions.
The list includes Turkish company Tupras, which in August canceled its gasoline supply contracts with Iran. Russian oil company Lukoil reconfirmed its commitment to halt gasoline sales to Iran in early September.
Iran claims that increased refining capacity means the country is self-sufficient in gasoline.
The State Department said BP and Shell are no longer selling jet fuel to Iran Air, while Shell, Total, Spanish energy company Repsol and Italy's Eni all abandoned work in the upstream sector.
"The results of the State Department's efforts are clear," the department said in its statement. "Companies are recognizing the increased risks of doing business in Iran and terminating their operations there or committing not to engage in any new activities in Iran."
