Iran Complains to UN About US Threats on Fuel Shipments to Venezuela

Iran's tankers meant to help Venezuela's gasoline shortage

Five Iranian tankers carrying $45.5 million in gasoline are headed to Venezuela, in response to shortages Venezuela asked for help with. The shortages were driven by US sanctions, and the US is unhappy with Iran’s shipments, accusing them of violating US bans.

The US accused Iran of taking gold as payment in a previous shipment to “circumvent” sanctions, though this isn’t in any way illegal for Iran to do. US officials say they are “considering measures” to take against Iran for selling fuel to Venezuela.

That’s not sitting well with Iran, which doesn’t believe they need US permission to trade. Iran has complained to the UN on Sunday about the matter, and summoned the Swiss Ambassador in Tehran to complain to the US over the threats.

In practice, the US is sanctioning Iran so much already their options are likely limited. This is another chance for Iran to complain about the unreasonableness of US positions, and allows the US more chances to threaten non-specific action against Iran.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.