TEHRAN (IRNA) — Japanese oil companies will resume importing Iranian crude oil after the United States has agreed to free Japan from sanctions.

Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hiroshige Sako, said on Wednesday that there were no barriers to the import of Iranian oil and that its resumption was on the agenda of Japanese companies. Indeed, the biggest Iranian oil consumers have been exempted from US sanctions and can continue to buy it for 180 days, with no possibility of extending this period.

In an interview with journalists, Hiroshige Sako said that private companies could also buy Iranian oil, but that for the time being, only public companies are willing to do so.