European Union nations have agreed on an oil embargo against Iran as part of sanctions over its nuclear program.
Diplomats said in Brussels the EU foreign ministers later Monday would officially adopt the measures that were hashed out by the 27 ambassadors. The measures include an immediate embargo on new contracts for crude oil and petroleum products while existing ones are allowed to run until July.
"I am confident that the EU will give a resolute answer today to Iran's refusal to fulfill its international obligations on the nuclear program," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said ahead of the official adoption by the foreign ministers.
Iran says its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes. But many international officials fear the country is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
A U.S. aircraft carrier sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf without incident on Sunday, a day after Iran backed away from an earlier threat to take action if an American carrier returned to the strategic waterway.
The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln completed a "regular and routine" passage through the strait, a critical gateway for the region's oil exports, "as previously scheduled and without incident," said Lieutenant Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet.