A recent report shows that Japan’s crude oil imports from Iran increased 38.3 percent in July from a month earlier despite the illegal US-engineered embargoes against the Islamic Republic's oil and financial sectors.

According to the data released by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Friday, Japan imported 847,951 kilolitres, or 172,047 barrels per day, of Iranian oil in July, Reuters reported.

The report added that Japan's imports from Iran rose for a third straight month on a year-on-year basis last month.

At the beginning of 2012, the United States and the European Union imposed new sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors with the goal of preventing other countries from purchasing Iranian oil and conducting transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.

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

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

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.
HK