Asian imports of Iranian oil in August rose by 10% from a year ago, said Press TV, adding that China accounted for the lion’s share of this increase of more than 1 m b/d of crude.

Iran’s other biggest buyers – India, Japan and South Korea – actually bought less Iranian oil in August from a year before, with Japan’s purchases in particular falling 11% to 179,243 b/d.

On Tuesday Reuters had reported comments made by Chinese President Xi Jinping to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani while they were in New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

China will prioritize its energy and financial cooperation with Iran, as the recent nuclear deal means there is now even more opportunity to work together, the Chinese leader said.

Xi insisted that once the nuclear agreement was put in force “Iran will have ever more opportunity for foreign cooperation, and Sino-Iran ties will face a new development opportunity”.

“(We) must prioritize energy and financial cooperation,” he added, after revealing China’s intentions to increase cooperation in the fields of railways, roads, iron and steel, auto manufacturing, electricity and high-technology.

China is the biggest customer of Iranian oil.