EU Oil Embargo on Iran Takes Effect Sunday

 A European Union embargo¹ on Iranian oil that takes effect Sunday is the latest move in an international effort to force Tehran to halt its disputed nuclear program.

The EU and the United States want Iran to end development work that they say is intended to produce nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Talks on the issue have resulted in an impasse² between western nations and Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer.

Last week South Korea announced it will also halt Iranian oil imports, becoming the first major Asian buyer of Iranian oil to do so.

The impact of the sanctions, which were announced in January, is not yet clear. Iran produced more than 4 million barrels of oil a day in 2010, but its production fell to a 23-year low before the July 1 start date for the sanctions. Meanwhile, other oil-producing nations in the Gulf³ region have stepped up their oil drilling, so production levels for the Organization of Petroleum⁴ Exporting Countries (OPEC) are near a four-year high.

Slowing of the world economy has also weakened demand for oil in recent weeks, bringing its cost down from the near-record highs reached earlier this year.

1 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

2 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。