Shell said on March 10 it had stopped selling petrol to Iran, becoming the latest major oil company to stop trading with the Islamic Republic.

"Shell is not currently selling gasoline to Iran," a Shell spokesman said. The company declined to say if the decision was linked to sanctions on Iran imposed over its nuclear ambitions.

The largest oil trader in the world, Vitol, said on March 8 it had stopped dealing with Iran. The Financial Times newspaper reported that Vitol and its fellow oil trading giants Glencore and Trafigura had ceased supplies of petrol to Iran.

Although Iran is one of the world's largest oil producers, it is forced to import petrol because its refineries are dilapidated after years of sanctions.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010