European Union members have agreed in principle on a pledge to ban imports of Iranian oil as part of an international effort to pressure Iran over its alleged nuclear activities. The European move follows a new round of U.S. sanctions on Iran enacted this month. In Washington, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland praised the European Union’s action.

Victoria Nuland: “These are the kinds of steps that we would like to see, not just from our close allies and partners in places like Europe, but from countries around the world, because we do believe that this is consistent with tightening the noose on Iran economically, and it also—you know, we think that the place to get Iran’s attention is with regard to its oil sector.”