South Korea, Japan, China and India imported 1.64 million barrels per day (bpd) in July, government and ship-tracking data showed, Reuters reported.
Japan’s imports rose 61.8 percent from a year earlier. Shipments by South Korea jumped more than fourfold last month, while India's imports doubled from a year ago.
Asia is the main destination for crude shipped by foreign vessels, with India, China and Japan the biggest takers, but at least four international tankers are also heading for Europe, according to the report.
Iran sits on the world’s fourth-largest oil and second-largest gas reserves, and is among the world’s top 10 oil and top five natural gas producers.