Iranian Fuel Sets Life in Motion in Venezuela
CARACAS (Dispatches) -- Fuel shipped from Iran began arriving at Venezuela’s gasoline stations on Sunday as the fifth cargo of an Iranian flotilla reached Venezuelan waters.
Venezuelans have spent hours or even days in line for gasoline in some areas of the country as fuel shortages intensified in the past two months.
As U.S. sanctions imposed on Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA have limited the sources and types of products Venezuela can import, Caracas has turned to Iran for refining parts and fuel.
Iran took the bold step of sending five fuel tankers to Venezuela this month after Washington threatened foreign governments, seaports, shipping companies and insurers.
The U.S. navy also sent warships to the Caribbean in an apparent bid to discourage Iran, but the Islamic Republic’s somber warning of a retaliation if its vessels were intercepted forced the United States to back down.
Four tankers have already reached their destinations and discharged their loads, with the fifth tanker, the Clavel, expected to arrive in the South American country later Sunday, according to Refinitiv Eikon.
The oil industries of Iran and Venezuela are both under U.S. sanctions. Iran is providing its fellow OPEC member up to 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and refining components to help ease an acute shortage, the result of the sanctions.
"This is a war, my dear fellow countrymen who listen to me, a brutal war,” Present Nicolas Maduro said Saturday, adding, the U.S. was "persecuting any company that brings a drop of gasoline to Venezuela”.
On Friday, Reuters said the Trump administration has quietly
warned foreign governments, seaports, shipping companies and insurers that they could face stiff US sanctions if they aid the Iranian tanker flotilla.
However, the Washington Post said "Trump’s sanctions are failing”.
By showing that they were able to trade to mutual benefit, Iran and Venezuela "not only successfully circumvented U.S. sanctions, they also scored public relations points in the process”, the paper said.
The Post touched on the Trump administration’s "maximum pressure” strategy against Iran and Venezuela, saying the two allies "show no signs of bending to external pressure”.
Venezuelans have spent hours or even days in line for gasoline in some areas of the country as fuel shortages intensified in the past two months.
As U.S. sanctions imposed on Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA have limited the sources and types of products Venezuela can import, Caracas has turned to Iran for refining parts and fuel.
Iran took the bold step of sending five fuel tankers to Venezuela this month after Washington threatened foreign governments, seaports, shipping companies and insurers.
The U.S. navy also sent warships to the Caribbean in an apparent bid to discourage Iran, but the Islamic Republic’s somber warning of a retaliation if its vessels were intercepted forced the United States to back down.
Four tankers have already reached their destinations and discharged their loads, with the fifth tanker, the Clavel, expected to arrive in the South American country later Sunday, according to Refinitiv Eikon.
The oil industries of Iran and Venezuela are both under U.S. sanctions. Iran is providing its fellow OPEC member up to 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and refining components to help ease an acute shortage, the result of the sanctions.
"This is a war, my dear fellow countrymen who listen to me, a brutal war,” Present Nicolas Maduro said Saturday, adding, the U.S. was "persecuting any company that brings a drop of gasoline to Venezuela”.
On Friday, Reuters said the Trump administration has quietly
warned foreign governments, seaports, shipping companies and insurers that they could face stiff US sanctions if they aid the Iranian tanker flotilla.
However, the Washington Post said "Trump’s sanctions are failing”.
By showing that they were able to trade to mutual benefit, Iran and Venezuela "not only successfully circumvented U.S. sanctions, they also scored public relations points in the process”, the paper said.
The Post touched on the Trump administration’s "maximum pressure” strategy against Iran and Venezuela, saying the two allies "show no signs of bending to external pressure”.