The United States' special envoy to Venezuela, Elliot Abrams, said that the administration of President Donald Trump has secretly warned governments, ports, and shipping and insurance companies against the possibility of facing severe sanctions in the event that Iranian tankers helped fuel to Venezuela, after four Iranian fuel tankers arrived in Venezuela in the past few days.
In an interview with Reuters, Abrams said that the American pressure campaign targeting Tehran and Caracas aims to "make sure everyone knows that providing assistance to such operations carries great risks."
On Thursday, the Venezuelan naval forces escorted the fourth tanker carrying Iranian fuel that crossed the waters of Venezuela, in defiance of America's threats to take measures in response to Iranian shipments, and is still the fifth and final Iranian tanker on its way to Venezuela via the Atlantic Ocean.
Diplomatic warnings
The US envoy added that his country had sent diplomatic warnings in secret to governments around the world, to warn against assisting Iranian oil tankers on their way to Venezuela.
Reuters news agency quoted an American official as saying that the United States has asked several countries to prevent the provision of port services to Iranian tankers, and the impact of this has not been clear so far.
Revenue Executive Icon data showed that two other tankers crossed the Suez Canal in early May, and informed sources said that Washington was looking for ways to prevent them from reaching the Venezuelan ports.
Abrams predicted that Iranian fuel arriving in Venezuela would run out in just weeks and be directed to the loyalists of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington does not recognize.
America is counting on economic pressures to prevent Iranian fuel supplies from reaching Venezuela, rather than using military force. Washington had previously deployed warships in the Caribbean Sea after Tehran announced that it would send fuel tankers to Venezuela.
The US administration earlier this month issued a circular on global navigation, which includes instructions for the shipping sector on how to avoid submitting to the US sanctions imposed on Iran, Syria and North Korea.