Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said that an army force will accompany Iranian tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela as soon as it enters the exclusive economic zone of the country that is suffering from a shortage of gasoline.
The defense minister's comments came after the monitoring of American warships in the Caribbean, and observers expected that they intend to intercept Iranian oil tankers heading to Venezuela.
Earlier, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said that fuel shipments from Iran should "disturb" Latin America.
Iran and Venezuela are members of OPEC and rivals of the United States, and the oil industry in both countries is subject to US sanctions.
Trump administration officials say Washington is considering responding to Iranian fuel shipments to Venezuela.
The five tankers carry about 1.5 million barrels of fuel, and Refinitiv Icon shows that it passed through the Suez Canal in the first two weeks of May.
These tankers are expected to arrive in Venezuela between late May and early June.
Boats and airplanes
In an interview on official television, Badrino said, "When (tankers) enter our exclusive economic zone, they will be accompanied by naval and aircraft from the national armed forces to welcome their arrival and to thank the Iranian people for their solidarity and cooperation," adding that the Venezuelan government is in contact with the Iranian Minister of Defense.
Referred to Venezuela as an oil country, and it was producing 1.3 million barrels per day, but its crude refining network collapsed after years of lack of investment.
The leader of the opposition, Guaido, said that the import of fuel by the government of President Nicholas Maduro shows its mismanagement of the country's oil industry.
Maduro describes the opposition leader as a puppet of the United States, accuses him of trying to overthrow him in a coup, and blames US sanctions on Venezuela’s economic problems.
American warships
Last week, it was reported that four warships belonging to the US Naval Force were seized with a war plane heading to the Caribbean, and observers suggested at that time that it was heading to target Iranian oil tankers on its way to Venezuela.
A senior administration official told Reuters that the United States was studying measures that could be taken against Iran sending a shipment of fuel to crisis-ridden Venezuela.
Military political analysts say that if US President Donald Trump takes a dangerous initiative in the Caribbean, he will face a reaction that weakens his position in the upcoming presidential elections.