Japan’s oil imports from Iran double

The report added that Japan’s crude oil imports from Iran in April were about 530,000 kiloliters. On March 13, the US had granted new waivers to Japan and 10 other countries from the sanctions on Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran’s crude oil exports to its top customer, China, also saw a nearly a 50-percent increase in May from April on a daily basis.

Iran sold 2.36 million tons of crude to China in May, equivalent to about 555,557 bpd, according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs.

The increase in China’s imports of Iranian crude came just before the United States renewed the country’s waiver on US sanctions aimed at cutting Iran’s oil revenues.

On June 13, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Iran’s crude output had risen by 30,000 barrels a day in May to 2.68 million barrels a day.

At the beginning of 2012, the United States and the European Union (EU) imposed new sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors.

The illegal US-engineered sanctions were imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.