US statements about willingness for diplomacy are “nothing but deception and an obvious contradiction,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Thursday.
“It is impossible to bomb a country while holding diplomatic talks and then speak of diplomacy,” he added.
Customs data show 2.7 million tons of Indonesian crude -- around 630,000 barrels per day -- arrived in August, far exceeding Indonesia’s average output of 580,000 bpd in 2024, most of which was consumed domestically. The flows followed a sharp jump in July.
China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, officially reported no imports from Tehran since mid-2022. In the meantime, it buys more oil from Malaysia than the country produces. In the past two months, shipments from Malaysia -- often used for ship-to-ship transfers and rebranded cargoes -- have dropped more than 30%.
Analysts say operators are now shifting tactics.
“This is just part of a continuing evolution of the operators’ tactics, hiding what they’re doing,” said Charlie Brown, a senior adviser at United Against Nuclear Iran. “They’re still doing ship-to-ship transfers in the same area off Malaysia; the basic trade pattern remains the same.”
Vessel-tracking data show tankers including the Aquaris, Yuhan, Pola and Pix signaled calls at Indonesia’s Kabil port near Singapore -- a hub not connected to crude exports but close to established transfer zones off Malaysia. These tankers later discharged cargoes in Chinese ports such as Qingdao, Rizhao and Dalian.
Bloomberg cited the Aquaris as receiving Iranian crude from the sanctioned Sorion tanker before unloading in Qingdao in June. The Yuhan and Pola followed similar patterns, according to data from Vortexa and Kpler.
Queries to Indonesia’s energy ministry, Pertamina, Kabil port, and China’s foreign ministry went unanswered, Bloomberg reported.
China’s reliance on Iranian oil has provided Tehran with a crucial economic lifeline as US sanctions continue to target the trade.
The looming return of UN sanctions on Iran is unlikely to curb its oil exports but could boost China’s refiners, who already take nearly 80% of Tehran’s 1.6 million barrels per day at steep discounts, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Dollar rate in Iran kept rising on Thursday, hitting a new record of 1,084,000 rials, figures showed.
The surge comes as the deadline for the snapback mechanism draws closer, fueling pressure on the local currency.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Talks focused on Iran’s nuclear issue and diplomatic initiatives to prevent the return of UN Security Council resolutions, according to the ministry.
Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met French President Emmanuel Macron.
