Tehran has sent nine oil tankers to its ally Venezuela in recent months.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANWorkers of the state-oil company Pdvsa holding Iranian and Venezuelan flags greet during the arrival of the Iranian tanker ship "Fortune" at El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela May 25, 2020(photo credit: MIRAFLORES PALACE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)Venezuela’s point man for the Middle East, deputy foreign minister for Asian and Oceania affairs Ruben Dario Molina, was quoted in Iran’s Fars News as boasting about his relations with the Iranian regime.Molina says that Venezuela has withstood US threats and that it is working with Iran on numerous bilateral trade efforts. Washington has sanctioned both regimes and recognizes the opposition in Venezuela as the true leaders of the country.Iran has sent nine oil tankers to its ally Venezuela in recent months. Trade alliances will deepen, Molina says. Venezuela’s regime thanked Iran for its support. Caracas also works with Russia and Turkey, both of whom work with Tehran on Syria issues, cementing themselves as a kind of group of countries that all oppose US interests both in the Middle East and globally.For Iran, this is important because it is about getting around US sanctions. The Islamic Republic also wants the arms embargo lifted. In this way, Venezuela is a key part of the alliance system of countries that seek to challenge US influence and US policy.According to Molina, a new Iranian store has been inaugurated in Caracas.Trade is blooming. Venezuela says that it works with Iran because neither country cares what the US thinks – and both oppose America’s “illegal” policies, according to the report. They want to defend the right of “free shipping” and transport of goods.
