The ongoing struggle between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program continues to affect countries in East Asia. Reinforced sanctions from the US, initiated at the end of June, threaten to punish countries that have deviated from Washington's efforts to completely isolate Tehran from the global oil market. This constitutes a major problem for countries in Northeast Asia that import significant portions of their crude oil from Iran. In particular, both South Korea and Japan clearly recognize Iranian oil as indispensable to their economies, creating an awkward conflict of interests.
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