The US said China and Singapore have “significantly reduced” their purchases of Iranian oil, earning exemptions from US financial sanctions that otherwise would have been imposed Thursday. China was the biggest importer of Iranian crude last year, and Singapore is Asia’s oil trading and refining hub. The US granted renewable, 180-day exemptions on March 20 to Japan and 10 European Union nations. India, South Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Taiwan won exemptions June 11. “A total of 20 world economies have now qualified for such an exception,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday in an e-mailed statement. “Their cumulative actions are a clear demonstration to Iran’s government that Iran’s continued violation of its international nuclear obligations carries an enormous economic cost.” China made substantial reductions in imports in the past six months because of a pricing dispute with Iran early in the year. It has pledged future cuts, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity before the announcement. “China has been importing crude oil from Iran through normal channels based on its economic development needs,” Hong Lei, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, said on Friday in Beijing. The purchases are “completely justified and legitimate,” he said.

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