Denmark’s Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal says that the Greek debt crisis and Greek reliance on cheap Iranian oil must not be allowed to stand in the way of EU sanctions against Iran in connection with its nuclear programme.

“The most important thing is that Greece, which has an understandable problem, must not prevent sanctions against Iran,” Søvndal says prior to an EU foreign minister meeting today in Brussels.

The sanctions, which are likely to be carried today, will probably be targeted at Iran’s financial and oil sectors and increase the number of Iranians subject to sanctions.

Søvndal says that sanctions should be introduced sooner than later, and not in July as has previously been suggested.

“I expect it to be months and not six months,” Søvndal says.

Problems for economically hard-pressed Greece in finding alternative oil supplies have previously been mooted as a reason for sanctions not to take effect for some eight months.

“No, eight months is a very long time. We can all understand the Greek problem, but postponing sanctions is not a good thing,” Søvndal says, adding that EU countries will be seeking to find a solution to the Greek supply problem.

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