The United States has welcomed the decision by the Japanese oil company INPEX to withdraw from its investments in Iran; which follows similar decisions taken by other global companies like Reliance, Shell and Total.

“The company’s actions are part of a strong and emerging consensus, not only of governments, but also from the private sector, that has come together to send a powerful and unified signal to Iran that it should meet its international obligations and begin to engage seriously on its nuclear programme,” State Department spokesman, P J Crowley, said.

“INPEXs decision today once again underscores that there are risks in dealing with Iran.”

“INPEX’s decision is consistent with the measures in UN Security Council Resolution 1929 and the Government of Japan’s recent sanctions on Iran, which, as Secretaries Clinton and Geithner stated last month, mark a significant step forward in the international community’s efforts to combat proliferation and prevent Irans development of nuclear weapons,” he said.

The Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg had announced on September 30 that four European energy companies — ENI, Statoil, Shell, and Total — have withdrawn from Iran.

“These actions, now complemented by INPEX are further evidence that sanctions are having a major impact on Iran,” he said.

“The United States remains committed to a diplomatic solution that resolves the international community’s concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. We will continue to work with our partners to pursue a dual track strategy of engagement and pressure to achieve this objective,” Crowley said.

Early this year, India’s Reliance and several other petrochemical companies from other countries have informed the United States that they have stopped selling refined products to Iran.

As part of its efforts to increase the pressure on the Government of Iran to comply with its international obligations, the US Government has been aggressively urging foreign governments and companies to avoid commercial activity in Iran’s energy sector until Iran complies with its international obligations, the State Department said as it released a list of such companies.

“The results of the State Department’s efforts are clear: Companies are recognizing the increased risks of doing business in Iran and terminating their operations there or committing not to engage in any new activities in Iran, the State Department said.

Turkish refiner Tupras told the State Department in August that it had cancelled contracts to supply gasoline to Iran.

Independent Petroleum Group, and India’s Reliance have all informed the State Department that they stopped refined product sales to Iran earlier this year, the State Department said.