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AN IRANIAN oil tanker arrived safely in Venezuela at the weekend, the first of five ships bringing supplies to the blockaded country.
The ship was escorted into port by Venezuelan naval vessels for fear that the United States, which has imposed crippling unilateral sanctions on both countries, might use its huge Caribbean naval presence to obstruct delivery. It has previously blocked Chinese ships carrying medical aid from docking in Cuba.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had warned that the US would face “problems” if it tried to stop the ships, while Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro said he was ready to respond to any aggression. “They want to enslave us,” he said. “If you want peace, you must be prepared to defend it.”
US President Donald Trump’s administration recognised self-declared “president” of Venezuela Juan Guaido early last year and operates what it calls a “maximum pressure” policy of economic warfare aimed at bringing down the elected government. Although the use of sanctions for regime change is prohibited by international law, the White House says these will continue “until Maduro’s hold on Venezuela is over.”
Though Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, the US blockade has crippled production, causing power outages and a severe shortage of diluents, which are used to prepare crude for transportation.
As a result the country needs to import petrol. But in a new relationship between Caracas and Tehran, Iran recently also flew shipments of a key chemical needed to help jump start a Venezuelan oil refinery and produce petrol itself.