South Korea has said imports of Iranian oil will be suspended from 1 July.

韩国将于7月1日起停止进口伊朗石油。

The insurance ban is part of a series of measures taken by the EU and the US to hurt Iran's oil exports.

Oil is a major source of revenue for Tehran and the EU and US have been trying to use it as a tool to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear program.

South Korea is the first major Asian economy to halt oil imports from Iran.

"The EU will ban providing insurance related to Iranian oil imports, because of which we cannot get the insurance provided by the European insurance companies," a spokesperson for South Korea's Ministry¹ of Knowledge Economy confirmed to the BBC.

He added that as a result South Korea was not in a position to continue importing oil from Tehran.

Insurance issues

Shipping² vessels³ buy insurance covers to safeguard against accidents and various issues raging from personal injury to environmental claims.

However, the bulk of companies that sell insurance on shipping vessels are based in the EU.

That means that once the insurance embargo⁴ comes into place on 1 July, it will make it difficult for shipping companies to insure vessels carrying Iranian crude.

That has led to various countries in Asia, which rely heavily on Iranian oil imports to meet their fuel needs, to take measures to ensure that they continue to get oil supplies from Tehran.

According to a report by the Reuters News agency, India has asked Tehran to arrange shipping and insurance for its exports to India.

The agency said that China, the biggest importer of Iranian oil, has also asked Iran to arrange for shipments to the mainland.

Meanwhile, Japan will provide "sovereign guarantees" for Iranian shipments, Reuters said in its report.