Venezuela‘s El Palito refinery has received the first two of five Iranian tankers carrying fuel to the country. Iran is providing the Latin American country with 1.53 barrels of gasoline. The Bolivian armed force greeted them and escorted the ships.
The three remaining tankers are crossing the Atlantic.
The US authorities have criticized both of the states. It is a clear challenge to the United States. For more than a week, the White House had been warning that the advance to the Caribbean of five cargo ships full of gasoline was a provocation of two sanctioned regimes.
Iran warns the US against attack by oil tankers
Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, stated that Tehran would not initiate any conflict. Still, it reserved the legitimate right to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity and its national interests.
Iranian president warned that the United States would face some problems if Iran’s oil tankers suffered any mishap in the Caribbean.
Rohani stated that if Iranian oil tankers anywhere are in trouble by the Americans, they will also have problems.
The week before, a senior US official reportedly said that the country was considering measures in response to the ongoing shipment. Later, the Iranian agency informed that four warships of the US Navy were in the Caribbean for a possible confrontation.
Rath Hoffman, a spokesman for the US Defence Ministry, denied any planning for any operations.
Luiz Alberto Figueredo, the former Brazilian ambassador to the United States, affirmed that it was a challenge from the Ayatollah to the American Government. Americans should be cautious with what they are going to do.
Based on the opposition to the United States, which keeps both countries under sanctions, Iran and Venezuela have a very close relationship.
Venezuela is experiencing a drop in oil production. Several of the country’s refineries have been paralyzed due to a lack of investment.
