Iranian Tankers To Reach Venezuela In Next 24 Hours Amid "Threat Of Imminent Military Force By US"

-
Iranian Tankers To Reach Venezuela In Next 24 Hours Amid "Threat Of Imminent Military Force By US" Tyler Durden Sat, 05/23/2020 - 14:55

By as early as the evening on Saturday or Sunday morning it's expected that the first among the five Iranian tankers transporting fuel to gasoline-starved Venezuela will enter the Latin American country's coastal waters.

Maduro officials have issued an emergency notice to the United Nations of an illegal "threat of imminent use of military force by the United States."

And with Washington threatening to block what it deems "sanctions-busting" by two "rogue states" - both under severe sanctions - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has issued his own last minute warning. 

Today we alerted the UN Security Council and Secretary General Antonio Guterres of the threat of imminent use of military force by the United States against Iranian vessels carrying Venezuelan-directed gasoline. An act of war under international law.

See here: pic.twitter.com/jyp8kqQZsQ

— Samuel Moncada (@SMoncada_eng) May 22, 2020

“If our tankers in the Caribbean or anywhere in the world face trouble caused by the Americans, they [the United States] will also be in trouble,” Rouhani told the Emir of Qatar in a phone call, Tasnim News reported.

The Maduro government said days ago that it would send a military escort in the form of planes and ships once the tankers enter Venezuela's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), or within 200 miles of the coast. 

Rouhani expressed hope there wouldn't be a showdown or conflict, however, amid prior reports of a Trump-ordered US 'naval build-up' in the Caribbean, in part to crackdown on what the administration has referred to Maduro's narcotrafficking operations in the region.

The Iranian oil tanker Clavel headed through the Strait of Gibraltar earlier this month, via AP.

“We hope the Americans will not make a mistake,” Rouhani stressed further to Qatar’s head of state, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Iran previously warned that any US attempt at intercepting its fuel tankers "would have serious repercussions for the Trump administration ahead of the November elections"

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino upped the ante Wednesday in vowing the military escort will be prepared to defend the ships in the face of any potential American intervention:

“When they enter our exclusive economic zone, they will be escorted by Bolivarian National Armed Forces boats and planes to welcome them in and thank the Iranian people for their solidarity and cooperation,” Padrino said on state television.

By our estimates, FORTUNE is approximately 10-12 hours away from entering Venezuela Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). From our understanding, she will then be escorted by the Venezuelan navy to shore. #OOTT https://t.co/SnUNbNpT8a

— TankerTrackers.com, Inc.⚓️🛢 (@TankerTrackers) May 23, 2020

He underscored that he was closely coordinating with Iran's defense minister, also after Washington has focused on the sanctioned Iranian airline Mahan Air's flights in and out of Caracas of late, said to be carrying vital equipment for Venezuela's derelict fuel refineres, needed for domestic gas consumption. 

The US has lately accused nefarious outside state actors of helping to facilitate the scheme to 'smuggle' gold out of Caracas as payment for the inbound Iranian gasoline as well as refining supplies and support. Pompeo even threw China in the mix in statements made Tuesday.

Meanwhile, many pundits are warning of a clash in the Caribbean, given the presence of US Navy ships. Sparks could could fly in a new 'tanker wars' conflict, akin to last summer's Persian Gulf and Mediterranean tit-for-tat tense exchanges, but this time in America's 'backyard' of the Caribbean and Latin American coastline.

Tyler Durden Zero Hedge http://www.zerohedge.com/fullrss2.xml

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NY postpones primary New York Governor Cuomo Postpones Primary Election as State Gets Slammed By Coronaviruswww.thegatewaypundit.comNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo has postponed the state’s presidential primary election as they continue to get battered by the coronavirus. The primaries were originally scheduled for April 28, but have now been moved to June 23. “I don’t think it’s wise to be bringing a lot of people to one...

-
Image
NY postpones primary New York Governor Cuomo Postpones Primary Election as State Gets Slammed By Coronavirus www.thegatewaypundit.com New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has postponed the state’s presidential primary election as they continue to get battered by the coronavirus. The primaries were originally scheduled for April 28, but have now been moved to June 23. “I don’t think it’s wise to be bringing a lot of people to one... Gateway Pundit Gateway Pundit (Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/196087640574
Read more

Inaccurate Virus Models Are Panicking Officials Into Ill-Advised Lockdowns

-
Image
Misinformation is driving this mania. You have leftwing panicmongers like MSNBC’s O’Donnell predicting ‘millions’ will die if churches are ‘packed’ on Easter. Inaccurate Virus Models Are Panicking Officials Into Ill-Advised Lockdowns How a handful of Democratic activists created alarming, but bogus data sets to scare local and state officials into making rash, economy-killing mandates. By Madeline Osburn, The Federalist, March 25, 2020 As U.S. state and local officials halt the economy and quarantine their communities over the Wuhan virus crisis, one would hope our leaders were making such major decisions based on well-sourced data and statistical analysis. That is not the case. A scan of statements made by media, state governors, local leaders, county judges, and more show many relying on the same source, an online mapping tool called  COVID Act Now.  The website says it is “built to enable political leaders to quickly make decisions in their Coronavirus response i...
Read more

Covid-19: Day 87: Mar26th: Why Did Hundreds Of CEOs Resign Just Before The Virus? Millions of locusts cover streets in Oman: Fired Americans Send Unemployment Websites Crashing Down: US deaths top 1,000 as $2.2 trillion in virus aid approved.

-
Image
Certain people made billions from 9/11, it looks like many more bosses were given a heads-up just before Covid-19 exploded! Why Did Hundreds Of CEOs Resign Just Before The World Started Going Absolutely Crazy? In the months prior to the most ferocious stock market crash in history and the eruption of the biggest public health crisis of our generation, we witnessed the biggest exodus of corporate CEOs that we have ever seen. And as you will see below, corporate insiders also sold off billions of dollars worth of shares in their own companies just before the stock market imploded. In life, timing can be everything, and sometimes people simply get lucky. But it does seem odd that so many among the corporate elite would be so exceedingly “lucky” all at the same time? One financial publication is using the phrase “the great CEO exodus” to describe the phenomenon that we have been witnessing. It all started last year when chief executives started resigning in numbers, unlike anything th...
Read more