Iran exports an average of about 1 million barrels of crude oil every day, a deputy minister of petroleum says.
Reacting to monthly reports about Iran's oil exports that say the country sells more oil in some months than what is allowed by the western sanctions, Mohsen Qamsari, director of international affairs at National Iranian Oil Company, said monthly reports are not reliable for judging the level of Iran's oil exports.
Oil contracts are usually signed for a period of a year or more and fluctuations do happen in some months of the year due to operational issues that take place in the course of supply, the official said.
"Iran's oil sales fall or rise during some months of the year because of the operational considerations of some refineries," he said.
He said what counts in the level of supply is the average amount exported over the year and monthly reports should not be regarded as reliable sources in this regard.
Iran is supplying crude oil consignments to Turkey, China, India, South Korea and Japan.