MOSCOW, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that "crippling sanctions" must be imposed immediately against Iran's energy sector.
"The time to apply sanctions is now, and they should be crippling sanctions," Netanyahu said in an interview with the Interfax news agency.
The sanctions should stop Iran from importing gasoline and halt the Islamic republic's oil exports because the Iranian economy was dependent on both, Netanyahu said.
The prime minister said he had discussed the issue with the presidents of Russia, the United States and France.
The proposed sanctions could be "highly effective in the short and medium term," Netanyahu said. "Therefore, they should be imposed now before Iran is able to complete its nuclear program."
Netanyahu is in Russia to push for additional sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. He held talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday and was scheduled to meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
