EP14 - Iran-Venezuela: a growing partnership

Iranian tankers reached Venezuela amid US threats and sanctions; how? Give us trouble, and the trouble will be yours. That was Iranian president Rouhani's message to the United States.The US had threatened to stop 5 Iranian oil tankers en route to Venezuela. But the 60 million tonne flotilla continued across the Caribbean and got over 1.5 million barrels of gasoline and alkylate safely to Venezuelan shores, within 10 days between late May and early June. Iran took every legal precaution this time round; with the shipment to Venezuela. It left all 5 Iranian-flagged vessels’ GPS systems on, and paid no heed to bullying. I asked what this showed. And then the Iranian government stressed it would never initiate a conflict. But it has shown it will respond in kind, if attacked.The general Soleimani assassination right after New Year 2020 is fresh in memory, as is Iran’s retaliation to the American act of terror, when Iran showered missiles on major US bases in Iraq. The US is nothing short of bases in West Asia, nor of shipments transiting the Persian Gulf. Add to this the story of the Grace-1 case in Gibraltar.