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The International Energy Agency has said crude oil imports from Iran have increased despite Western sanctions imposed on the country, the UPI reported on Thursday.
The IEA in its monthly market report stated that crude oil imports from Iran increased in August to 1.1 million barrels per day, up from less than 1 million bpd mark in July, MNA reported.
Iran announced that that private companies delivered oil to the foreign market for the first time Sunday.
The private sector has signed several contracts to sell crude oil overseas, Hassan Khosrojerdi, the chairman of the union of Iranian exporters of oil derivatives, told the Mehr news agency on Sunday.
An agreement has been made that allows an Iranian consortium comprising private firms to export 20 percent of its oil exports to international markets, including the EU, he said.