Venezuela to escort fuel tankers from Iran despite US threat
Planes and ships from the Venezuelan armed forces will
escort Iranian tankers as soon as the vessels, carrying barrels of fuel for the
South American country, enter Venezuela's
exclusive economic zone, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on
Wednesday.
"When they enter our exclusive economic zone, they will
be escorted by Bolivarian National Armed Forces boats and planes to welcome
them in and thank the Iranian people for their solidarity and
cooperation," Padrino said, defying US complaints about the shipments.
Padrino addressed the difficulties that the Venezuelan
economy was facing because of the coronavirus pandemic. The country has
registered just over 800 cases of the virus, but scientists believe that close
to 63% more may be infected.
"If a country like the Islamic Republic of Iran ...
provides us with humanitarian aid, just as with the one we received from
Russia, the People's Republic of China and other countries of the world — It is
welcome," Padrino added.
Tehran has warned of "consequences"if the US,
which opposes Nicolas Maduro's regime, stopped the ships from reaching their
destination.
The vessels from Iran include five gasoline tankers with 1.5
million barrels of fuel. They are expected to arrive between the end of May and
early June.
The announcement came soon after Venezuelan opposition
leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized as the country's legitimate leader by
many countries including the US, said the shipment was alarming for the region.
He said he was "very worried" about this "attempt of Iranian
presence on Venezuelan soil" that was not authorized by the
opposition-controlled National Assembly.
While Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world,
oil production has taken a hit over the past two decades, due to mismanagement
and, many say, rampant corruption under the socialist rule. Many also blame US
sanctions aimed at removing President Nicolas Maduro from power to have had an
adverse effect on the economy.
US President Donald Trump's administration has imposed
unilateral sanctions aimed at ending oil exports from Iran and Venezuela, both
major crude producers. Even before the pandemic, Venezuela suffered from an
economic meltdown that has seen millions of Venezuelans fleeing abroad.
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