South Korea stopped importing condensate from Iran before receiving sanctions waivers

South Korea, the world’s leading importer of condensates, has sought alternatives to partially offset declines in imports of Iranian condensates during the past few months, particularly in light of U.S. sanctions on Iranian exports of crude oil and condensate. South Korea purchased close to half a million barrels per day (b/d) of condensates in 2017, accounting for more than 25% of global condensate trade. In the first seven months of 2018, 38% of South Korea’s condensate imports came from Iran. South Korea ceased importing Iranian condensates in August. Subsequently, the United States granted South Korea an exemption to import about 200,000 b/d of condensates from Iran for 180 days. More »