Al Jazeera reported that Central Asian countries have begun purchasing oil from Iran due to tight Russian fuel supplies caused by damage to Russian energy infrastructure from Ukrainian attacks. Tajikistan announced in August that it had received Iranian oil products and is expected to receive 2.55 million tons of oil and petroleum products from Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also agreed in August to establish a joint venture refinery in Kyrgyzstan and supply crude oil. Previously, due to U.S. sanctions, Iran's crude oil exports had fallen from approximately 2 million barrels per day in March to about 220,000 to 255,000 barrels per day in August. Russia's fuel shortage has provided Iran with new export opportunities.