The United States is considering measures it could take in response to a fuel shipment that Iran sent to crisis-ridden Venezuela, a senior administration official said Thursday.
The official, who asked not to be named, said that Washington is "with a great degree of certainty" that the government of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro pays Iran with tons of gold.
"This is not only reprehensible to the United States, but also reprehensible to the region, and we are looking at measures that can be taken," the official said.
The oil sectors of the two OPEC countries and the two rivals of the United States are subject to strict U.S. sanctions. The official declined to specify the measures being discussed, but said options would be presented to Trump.
According to ship tracking data from Reventiv Akon on Wednesday, at least one tanker loaded with fuel sailed from an Iranian port towards Venezuela, which could help the country alleviate severe fuel shortages.
The medium tanker, Clafeel flying the Iranian flag, crossed the Suez Canal earlier on Wednesday after loading fuel at the end of March in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to the data.
Venezuela is in desperate need of gasoline and other refined fuel products to preserve the appearance of life in the country in light of the economic collapse that occurred during the era of Maduro. The country produces crude oil, but its infrastructure was paralyzed during the economic crisis.
The shipment is the latest sign of cooperation between Iran and Venezuela. Since last month, many flights from Tehran have carried materials to Venezuela to help them restart the cracking unit at the Cardon refinery, which produces 310,000 barrels per day. These moves were met with condemnation from the United States.
The refining network in Venezuela, which produces nearly 1.3 million barrels per day, has collapsed due to a lack of investment and a lack of maintenance in recent years under Maduro's socialist rule.
Last year, the United States imposed sanctions on the state oil company in Venezuela as part of efforts by the Trump administration to topple Maduro, who was considered by most Western countries as a fraud in 2018.
The United States and dozens of other countries recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president last year. But Maduro, who describes Guaido as an American puppet, remains in power, supported by the Venezuelan army as well as from Russia, China, Cuba and Iran.
Some US officials said this was an increasing source of frustration for Trump.
The United States also continues to impose sanctions on Iran with the aim of containing its influence in the Middle East, measures that were reimposed after Trump's withdrawal from the international nuclear deal with Tehran.
There are four other ships of the same size as the ship Clavell, all flying the Iranian flag and loaded with fuel from or near Bandar Abbas, about to cross the Atlantic after crossing the Suez Canal. The data showed that it has not yet determined its final destinations.
According to an informed person, one of these ships bearing the name Fortune appears on a list of tankers that are scheduled to enter the port of Venezuela. Opposition politicians said they had received information that the five tankers were heading to Venezuela.
The US official said that Venezuela 's need to obtain Iranian fuel showed the "despair" of the Maduro government.
"We have spoken to a sufficient number of people and have seen enough to be in a great degree of certainty" that Iran is receiving "a large amount of gold," the official added, without elaborating.