European Union governments agreed on Tuesday, January 10, to bring forward a meeting of foreign ministers expected to decide on an oil embargo on Iran by one week to January 23.

In its statement confirming the date, the EU said the decision to bring it forward from January 30 was taken to avoid a scheduling clash with a summit of EU leaders set for that day.

EU states have already agreed in principle to an embargo on imports of Iranian oil, part of the latest Western efforts to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.

However, they still have to finalize details of when it will be imposed. Diplomats say the embargo could take several months to start because some EU capitals want a delay to reduce any shocks to their already sluggish economies, Reuters reported.