Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd called on China to consider halting its oil purchases from Iran in deference to efforts by the international community of pressuring Tehran to abandon its nuclear program.

Rudd made the call on Thursday following his meet with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, who has been campaigning for the European Union to adopt new rounds of sanctions directed towards Iran.

"We would urge our friends in Beijing but elsewhere as well in Asia to reflect seriously on this," Rudd was quoted in Paris by Agence France Presse (AFP).

He added nations dealing with Iran and benefitting from its oil products must "mindful of the actions of others in the international community who are seeking to bring about the pressure necessary to get a change in the Iranian government position."

Rudd, however, stressed that Australia does not intend to force on other nations to follow its policy he reiterated that Beijing should seriously think about the appeal.

On his part, Juppe said that tougher measures must be implemented, with the support of the international community, for Iran to be convinced that much of the world mean business in preventing it to develop usable nuclear arms.

"Sanctions must be toughened to make the Iranian regime evolve," Juppe stressed.

The world leaders declared their stance after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao indicated this week that his country has no plans of abandoning its trade relations with Iran, currently the third largest exporter of oil to China.

"China's oil trade with Iran is a normal commercial activity ... but will not bargain away its principles," Wen said on Wednesday while in Qatar, stressing too that China's position does not mean that it support's Iran's nuclear program.

"We support the UN resolutions related to the Iranian nuclear issue," the Chinese leader asserted.

Western powers, led by the United States, France and United Kingdom, have been pressuring Iran to come clean on its uranium enrichment activities, which all fear would lead to the development of nuclear weapons capability.

Iran, however, has consistently maintained that its nuclear program was motivated by peaceful agenda.

The Iranian government also insisted on its rights to explore and develop other means of tapping energy sources, which it said is the core basis of its nuclear program.