Iranian officials slammed the country's state television on Wednesday for airing a programme on oil sales to China that contravene US sanctions, saying the report went "against national interests".
Washington abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers last year and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic republic's crucial oil sales as well as other parts of the economy.
The "Hello, Good Morning" talk show featured on Tuesday a programme on the Salina, an Iranian-flagged tanker under US sanctions that reportedly had delivered 1 million barrels of crude oil to China's Jinzhou port in late June.
China -- along with Britain, France, Germany and Russia -- is one of the partners in the nuclear deal and has rejected US President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to cut Iranian oil exports to zero.
"This shows that sanctions are ineffective and Iran's path to sell its oil is not blocked," the programme's host said, showing what he claimed were satellite photos of the tanker berthed at the Chinese port.
The state broadcaster immediately came under fire from local media who called the programme "suspicious", with officials weighing in the next day.
"This will hurt (Iran's) national interests," semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying. "Thank God I don't watch TV."