DUBAI: It will undoubtedly leaves unpleasant impact on United States if her performance against an Iranian fuel shipment to Venezuela remains “just like pirates”, Iranian news agency close to the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday
On Thursday, one of the senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration explained to Reuters that the United States was considering measures it could take in response to Iran’s shipment of fuel to crisis-stricken Venezuela.
Both oil sector of Iran and Venezuela which are members of OPEC are under sanctions of US.
“If the United States, just like pirates, intends to create insecurity on international waterways, it would be taking a dangerous risk and that will certainly not go without repercussion,” Iran’s Nour news agency said.
According to vessel tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon on Wednesday, around one tanker has set sail for Venezuela which loaded fuel at an Iranian port that helps in easing acute scarcity of gasoline in the South American country.
“Both Venezuela and Iran are independent states which have had and in future will keep the trade relations strong with each other,” Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said to YJC news website which is linked to Iran’s state broadcaster.
“Our trade is based on selling goods and buying in returns which does strange to anyone else. We have many ways to sell our oil which we have to do it.” Rabiei said, “I have no information about the Venezuela-bound vessel.”
If the United States takes action against the Iranian tanker, then Iran may retaliate against US vessels in Gulf in return an a response of US doing, suggested a hardline Iranian analyst.
“Trump should ask Prime Minister Boris Johnson on British tanker experience before any find decision goes through” Mahdi Mohammad said on Twitter adding that the The US Navy and its allies in the Persian Gulf are hostages to any kind of violation against Iran’s legal international shipping.
Last year, when British forces detained an Iranian tanker off the territory of Gibraltar, responding to this act of British forces Iran captured a British-flagged tanker in Gulf in return after a month-log standoff vessels were released.
The Iran-flagged medium tanker Clavel passed the Suez Canal on Wednesday after loading fuel at the end of March at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, according to the data.
Venezuela under socialist President Nicolas Maduro is in dire need of gasoline to keep the country functioning amid an economic collapse. Venezuela is great in producing crude oil but during the economic crisis its infrastructure has turned crippled.