Venezuela is strengthening its alliance with Iran. “The first of five ships laden with Iranian petrol crossed in to Venezuelan waters on Sunday in defiance of US sanctions, after Tehran and Caracas warned Washington over any attempt to intercept them.” Iran also threatened America, should it “interfere”:
Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani warned the US….that his country would respond to any “problems” faced by its ships. “If Americans create problems for our oil tankers in the Caribbean waters or anywhere in the world, we will reciprocally create problems for them,” he said. “We always consider it our legitimate right to defend our territorial integrity and national interests and hope Americans do not make a mistake.”
Meanwhile, “Venezuela’s defence minister Vladimir Padrino López said this week the armed forces would escort the tankers ‘to welcome them and to say to the people of Iran, thank you, thank you, for your solidarity.’”
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro thanked Iran for the fuel at a time when Venezuela is gas-starved, and stated: “The end of Ramadan brings us the arrival of the FORTUNE ship, a sign of the solidarity of the Islamic people of Iran with Venezuela.”
The U.S. has already expressed concerns about the presence of Hizballah in Venezuela; meanwhile, the Venezuelan opposition “has launched a campaign to denounce that Venezuela has become a center for financing and money laundering for Hezbollah.” Juan Guaidó, the head of the opposition, has also accused the Maduro regime, saying “it was paying Iran with ‘blood gold’ from illegal mines in Venezuela’s southern jungle.”
“Iranian petrol tanker arrives in Venezuela in defiance of US,” by Gideon Long and Aime Williams, Financial Times, May 24, 2020:
The first of five ships laden with Iranian petrol crossed in to Venezuelan waters on Sunday in defiance of US sanctions, after Tehran and Caracas warned Washington over any attempt to intercept them.
The ships set off from the Middle East in March and April. Iranian-flagged Fortune, the first to reach Venezuelan territorial waters, headed towards refineries in the west, escorted by ships from the Venezuelan navy.
Venezuela is desperately short of petrol despite sitting on the world’s biggest oil reserves. Its refineries have largely collapsed after years of mismanagement and it is struggling to import petrol due to US sanctions designed to push socialist president Nicolás Maduro from power.
Iran is labouring under similar sanctions but has a surplus of petrol due to the global economic crash caused by coronavirus.
The ships come to the Caribbean at a time when the US military has a large presence there. Last month, President Donald Trump sent warships to the area to stop “cartels, criminals, terrorists and other malign actors” exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to smuggle drugs to the US. The force includes destroyers and surveillance aircraft.
Venezuela’s defence minister Vladimir Padrino López said this week the armed forces would escort the tankers “to welcome them and to say to the people of Iran, thank you, thank you, for your solidarity.”
Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani warned the US on Saturday that his country would respond to any “problems” faced by its ships.
“If Americans create problems for our oil tankers in the Caribbean waters or anywhere in the world, we will reciprocally create problems for them,” he said. “We always consider it our legitimate right to defend our territorial integrity and national interests and hope Americans do not make a mistake.”
At a meeting of the Security Council on Thursday, Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, said Caracas would view any attempt to block the ships as an “act of war”. Iran has also complained to the UN about what it says are US threats to the convoy.
The Americans have played down that idea. The Pentagon said on Thursday it knew of no such plan.
Even so, the convoy is an irritant to the Trump administration. “You have to ask yourself what interest Iran has in Venezuela,” said Admiral Craig Faller, head of US Southern Command, speaking at an event hosted by the Florida International University this week. “It is to gain a positional advantage in our neighbourhood as a way to counter US interests.”
Washington and the Venezuelan opposition suspect the Maduro regime is using gold from central bank reserves to pay Iran rather than cash.
On Friday, Department of State spokesperson Morgan Ortagus accused Venezuela of having “looted” nine tons of gold bars and sent them to Tehran in exchange for the petrol…..
Buraq says
Iran and Venezuela: Two drowning men clutching at the same straw. Clowns!
Kesselman says
You’re right! No further comments are necessary.
Grace says
America has to STAND UP or STAND DOWN. This creeping J’had is now invading the American continent. Their motto, Today a country, tomorrow the world.
owensgate says
Shipping oil to Venezuela? Ha Ha Ha Ha….that’s rich. Isn’t Socialism great? Can’t you just wait ’till we have it here?
commonsense says
Shipping oil to Venezuela…analogous to carrying coals to Newcastle. The irony cannot be overstated. Would love to hear Bernie – the “democratic socialist” – express his views on the matter.
James Lincoln says
commonsense,
Commie Bernie would blame it on:
US sanctions on Venezuela!
As the feature article noted, the sanctions are “designed to push socialist president Nicolás Maduro from power.”
commonsense says
Yes. God, what a loathsome bastard he is.
gravenimage says
Yes–I was going to cite “carrying coals to Newcastle”. Of course, Newcastle was never too inept to mine their coal. Apparently Venezuela, sitting on one of the greatest reserves of oil in the hemisphere, can’t get it together to even supply their own oil needs.
But then, Venezuela also has some of the richest farmland in South America, and under Communism her people are going hungry. Venezuela used to be the wealthiest nation on the continent.
James Lincoln says
gravenimage,
Yes, Venezuela used to be the wealthiest nation on the continent.
What has happened to Venezuela could happen to ANY country under the right circumstances:
Either by
1. Communism.
2. islamism
Or a combination of the two.
Even the United States is not immune…
Giacomo Latta says
A large number of socialist-leaning voters decided that they wanted a greater share of the wealth. Now thanks to Maduro they all have a huge share of nothing.
gravenimage says
So true, James and Giacomo.
LB says
There is no doubt in my mind that Venezuela will, after unloading the oil, load some of its own “home produced product”, if you know what I mean. After all, it’s no secret that Iranian Hezbollah has dealings with SA drug cartels in order to flood the infidels with their “product”. No doubt it also gets spread that way from Iran through Pakistan into India and Bangladesh.
Or maybe–*tinfoil hat on*–the oil shipment is a cover up and the real intent is the drug shipment? Do you know how many THOUSANDS OF TONNES those 5 carries ships can carry? Somebody better keep a close eye on them on their way back to Iran!
wpm says
The Venezuela government will most likely sell the oil ship to it on the open market to keep its bankrupted country going another 3,or 4 months.The thing Iran and Venezuela have in common the suffering and death of their own citizens because of own lunatic belief systems is no government concern to them.Communist and Islam two systems that have never work well for the citizens of countries run on those systems.
David says
There is a glut of oil, so selling it on will not be profitable, or even probable!
Peter Buckley says
“Iranian tankers laden with gasoline are now traveling to Venezuela. The US Navy could easily capture those tankers still at sea. There is ample precedent. Both the US and Great Britain have legally seized Iranian ships bringing missiles to terrorists in Yemen. With a similar action, the US could both deny funds for Iran’s terrorist and nuclear activities and energy desperately needed by the oppressive Maduro regime in Venezuela.”
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16064/iran-knockout-punch
David says
It looks like the US is trying to avoid some retaliation from Iran. What could that possibly be? A random terrorist attack? They really should have intercepted these tankers.
Anyone remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? That was successfully thwarted, and the USSR had nukes, but their bluff was called.
Frank Anderson says
“Sending ice cubes to Eskimo’s” Who would have thunk it? How long do you think it will last?
David says
I used to say: “Selling refrigerators to Eskimos”, but I don’t say it anymore. It sounds racist! (lol)
No Muzzies Here says
Behold, another example of the alliance between the Left and Islam, a political movement whose goal is to turn the entire world Islamic.
James Lincoln says
Yes, a perfect example…
winoceros says
Sure it’s just gas in the tankers… Nothing to see here. Need some satellite telemetry please. Then escort these Trojan horses to the nearest US friendly port with no diplomatic relationship with Iran.
.Bridgette says
Trudeau just sent Venezuela 27 million of Canadian tax dollars. I suspect it will help pay for some of this oil the bastard.
gravenimage says
What an idiot Trudeau is–this is just fueling the suffering there.
There is nothing organic about Venezuela’s plight. It would be over tomorrow if she had even a run-of-the-mill crummy South American government, which is a pretty low standard. This shows what Communism will do to even the richest nation.
But then, that Ukrainians were starving for bread in the greatest wheat-growing area in the world under Stalin says it all.
Westman says
That money from Trudeau is just chump change:
“On Friday, Department of State spokesperson Morgan Ortagus accused Venezuela of having “looted” nine tons of gold bars and sent them to Tehran in exchange for the petrol…..”
That 9 tons (actually tonnes, 1 tonne = 1000 kg) at today’s gold price is $477 Million.
So Iran is getting a shot in arm, from Venezuela, of about Half a Billion dollars. That should finance quite a bit of proxy terrorsm.
David says
Trudeau, like God, moves in mysterious ways. Are Canadian taxpayers aware of this generous gift?
David says
Iran (the government, not the people) should be getting a shot in the head, not the arm!
Gourdhead says
Iran threatening the U.S. is laughable. Surely these raghead leaders know we could crystallize them in a minute.
grandpahalfdime says
One Mk-46 torpedo…
OLD GUY says
Let’s not pollute the ocean and its not fair to marine life, let’s just turn them around or capture the ship drop the crew on a deserted island or muslim beach and let Iran come get them. If they try to retaliate defend ourselves and take the attack to Irans leadership.