Japanese buyers are unlikely to load Iranian oil after April 1 without an extension of the country’s current waiver because of the difficulty in making payments before sanctions are reimposed in early May, the Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ) said on Tuesday. Japan’s oil loadings from Iran are likely to be heavy in January-March, although some fresh shipments might take place around end-December, PAJ president Takashi Tsukioka told reporters. In recent years, Japan has generally avoided loading Iranian crude in March as refiners wait for the government to extend sovereign ship insurance to the new fiscal year that starts every April. It was unclear whether the same pattern may emerge next March, Tsukioka said. The United States granted exemptions to Japan and seven other countries on […]