Live Update
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Iranian fuel shipment reaches Venezuelan waters
The first of five tankers carrying Iranian fuel and oil products entered Venezuelan waters on Saturday, a Venezuelan government official says.
“The ships of the sister Islamic Republic of Iran are in our exclusive economic zone,” Venezuelan oil minister Tareck El Aissami writes on Twitter after the arrival of the first tanker, named Fortune.
The fleet is carrying about 1.5 million barrels of gasoline according to media reports, and arrives amid tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has imposed sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports and Iran.
Venezuela had said its navy and air force would escort the tankers after Tehran warned of “consequences” if the US stopped the ships from reaching their destination.
— AFP