Iranian oil tanker reaches Venezuela, defying US
The first of five tankers loaded with petrol sent from Iran has reached Venezuelan waters.
The first of five tankers loaded with petrol sent from Iran has reached Venezuelan waters, expected to temporarily ease the South American nation’s fuel crunch while defying Trump administration sanctions targeting the two US foes.
The oil tanker Fortune encountered no immediate signs of US interference on Sunday as it eased through Caribbean waters towards the Venezuelan coast and Venezuelan officials celebrated the arrival.
“Iran and Venezuela have always supported each other in times of difficulty,” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza tweeted. “Today, the first ship with gasoline arrives for our people.”
The tanker and four behind it were finishing a high seas journey amid a growing relationship between Iran and Venezuela, both of which Washington says are ruled by repressive regimes.
Russ Dallen, head of the Miami-based investment firm Caracas Capital Markets, confirmed the Fortune’s location using ship-tracking technology. He said the Clavel, the last of the five ships, was about 3 ½ days behind the lead tanker.
The Iranian tankers hold what analysts estimate to be enough petrol to supply Venezuela for two to three weeks.
The US accuses Iran and other nations of propping up Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Washington and Australia are among nearly 60 countries that back opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate president.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Saturday that the US should not interfere with the shipment of oil. Mr Rouhani said the US had created “unacceptable conditions” in different parts of the world, but that Iran would “by no means” be the one to initiate conflict.
US officials had announced no plans to try to intercept Iran’s tankers. However, the Trump administration has increased pressure on Maduro, recently offered a $15m bounty for his arrest after a US court indicted him as a narcotic trafficker.
The US has also deployed a force of warships to patrol the Caribbean in what US officials call a drug-interdiction mission.
AP
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