People with vehicles wait in line in an attempt to refuel at a petrol station in Maracaibo, Venezuela. File photo: Reuters
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3085830/first-iranian-tanker-reaches-fuel-starved-venezuela-despite-us Americas
First Iranian tanker reaches fuel-starved Venezuela despite US warning
- Fleet of five tankers is carrying about 1.5 million barrels of fuel from Iran
- Washington has imposed sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports and Iran
The Iranian oil tanker Clavel heads through the Strait of Gibraltar on Wednesday. Photo: AP
The first of five Iranian tankers carrying fuel for energy-starved Venezuela entered the South American country’s exclusive economic zone on Saturday, despite a US official’s warning that Washington was considering a response to the shipment.
The tanker, named Fortune, reached the country’s waters at after passing north of the neighbouring dual-island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, according to vessel tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon.
“The ships from the fraternal Islamic Republic of Iran are now in our exclusive economic zone,” tweeted Tareck El Aissami, Venezuela’s economy vice-president and recently named oil minister.
Venezuelan state television showed images of a navy ship and aircraft preparing to meet it. The defence minister had pledged that the military would escort the tankers once they reached Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) due to what authorities described as threats from the United States.
The tanker flotilla was carrying a total of 1.53 million barrels of petrol and alkylate to Venezuela, according to both governments, sources and calculations by TankerTrackers.com.
The desperately needed shipments have caused a diplomatic stand-off between the United States and Iran and Venezuela, which are under US sanctions. Fuel is scarce in Venezuela due to a near-complete breakdown of the Opec nation’s 1.3 million barrel-per-day refining network.
Washington was considering measures in response, a senior US official said without elaborating.
The United States recently strengthened its naval presence in the Caribbean for what it called an expanded antidrug operation. A Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday he was unaware of any operations related to the Iranian cargoes.
The shipment has drawn condemnation from Venezuela’s opposition, which is concerned about growing ties between Iran and socialist President Nicolas Maduro, who has overseen a six-year economic crisis. The shipments are bringing enough fuel for just a month of consumption at current rates in the nation, once a prominent fuel exporter.
06:04
Why can't Iran and the US get along?
“(The ruling party) is trying to turn an embarrassment into an epic victory,” said Oscar Ronderos, a lawmaker on the opposition-controlled National Assembly’s energy commission.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rowhani warned of retaliation if Washington caused problems for tankers carrying Iranian fuel to Venezuela, the semi-official news agency Mehr reported.
“If our tankers in the Caribbean or anywhere in the world face trouble caused by the Americans, they (the US) will also be in trouble,” Rowhani said in a telephone conversation with Qatar’s Emir, Mehr reported.
A crew of Iranian technicians is already at work at state-run Petroleos de Venezuela’s Cardon and Amuay refineries, as part of a broader assistance plan that’s brought over workers, supplies and parts in exchange for about nine tonnes of gold, or US$500 million worth.
The two Opec nations have previously helped each other in the face of US sanctions. In 2010-2011, state-run oil company PDVSA sent fuel to Iran, which was under sanctions aimed at stifling its nuclear weapons programme.
Maduro holds on to power with support from Venezuela’s military and his international allies, also including Cuba, Russia, and China. The US says these nations are engaged in “malign activities and meddling” around the world.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Bloomberr