Japan has announced it would reduce its imports of Iranian crude oil to comply with new U.S. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

Japan depends on Iran for some 10 percent of its oil imports.

Finance Minister Jun Azumi, speaking on January 12 at a joint news conference with visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, maintained that the imports would be reduced gradually.

“Nuclear development is something that the world cannot shut its eyes to, so we understand the United States’ position,” he said. “As for the remaining 10-percent share [of crude oil imports from Iran], we plan to gradually reduce that in a concrete manner.”

In Ankara, however, a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman (Selcuk Unal) indicated that his country would only enforce sanctions that have been approved by the United Nations.

He made the comments after talks between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani.

Meanwhile, EU diplomats told Reuters that an agreement was emerging that EU oil imports from Iran should be banned after six months while a ban on petrochemical products would start after three months — similar to provisions in U.S. legislation.