Trump Regime Aims to Block Legal Cooperation Between Iran and Venezuela

The US is at war by hot or others means against all nations unwilling to subordinate their sovereign rights to its interests.

Russia and China top its regime change target list, Iran and Venezuela close behind.

The Islamic and Bolivarian Republics are allied in mutual cooperative efforts.

Along with China, Iran has been helping Venezuela deal with its fuel shortage.

These and other countries dealing cooperatively with Venezuela face a likely harsh Trump regime response, including illegal secondary sanctions.

Because of significant fuel shortages, Caracas is working with Tehran and Beijing to repair and upgrade its oil refining capabilities.

Reportedly since April, around 20 flights from Iran and China brought hundreds of tons of technical equipment and personnel to work on the project.

State-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is supplying Venezuela with compressors and refinery parts.

Iran’s state-owned Khatam al-Anbiya engineering firm is also providing this needed equipment and technicians to install it.

Venezuela Analysis reported that state oil company PDVSA reopened its El Palito refinery.

When fully operational, it “has a capacity to refine 80,000 bpd.” President Maduro aims to upgrade and restart refining operations nationwide that have been largely offline since last year.

Repair work began on Venezuela’s Paraguana Refining Complex, the world’s second largest.

Iranian and Chinese technicians are working to bring it back online. Reactivating the Cardon refinery is another priority.

The Trump regime is hostile toward nations involved in legally aiding its adversaries — invented ones. The US faced no foreign threats since WW II ended, what establishment media never explain.

Last month, Pompeo called on Middle East and other nations to deny Iranian airline Mahan Air access to their airspace, saying:

“Over the last few days, multiple aircraft belonging to Mahan Air have transferred unknown support to” Venezuela — Iran’s legal right.

“This is the same…airline that Iran used to move weapons and fighters around the Middle East (sic).”

The flights “must stop just as many (countries) denied landing rights to” the airline because of heavy-handed US pressure and threats.

In late April, a Venezuelan official said materials were received from Iran to help restart the Cardon refinery’s cracking unit that’s necessary to produce gasoline.

According to TankerTrackers.com, several Iranian vessels with gasoline are heading to Venezuela.

The country faces a major shortage of the fuel because until upgrading of its refining capacity is completed, it’s unable to supply internal needs.

It’s only able to produce about 10% of diluents needed for gasoline production.

On Friday, Reuters headlined: “Exclusive: US weighs measures in response to Iran fuel shipment to Venezuela,” saying:

An unnamed Trump regime official threatened further US actions against Tehran.

“It is not only unwelcome by the United States but it’s unwelcome by the region (sic), and we’re looking at measures that can be taken,” the official said.

Unilateral US sanctions against both countries and others have no legal validity.

Nations observing them are in violation of international law. They’re also complicit with Washington’s war on humanity, wanting all countries transformed into US vassal states.

It’s unclear what actions the Trump regime intends taking against Iran.

Is interdicting its tankers in international waters one of them?

US warships patrol Caribbean Sea waters as part of the Trump regime’s economic embargo on Venezuela.

AMN News reported that the USS Detroit, Lassen, Preble and Farragut are operating near Venezuela’s coastline — on the phony pretext of conducting anti-drug operations.

The CIA profits hugely from the illicit trade in cahoots with the underworld. So do major Wall Street banks by laundering billions of dollars of dirty money.

If the Trump regime orders the interdiction and seizure of Iran vessels in international waters, an act of high-seas piracy if it goes this far, Tehran will surely respond in its own way at an appropriate time.

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Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)

His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Featured image: The photograph shows a meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on October 22nd, 2016. 


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Articles by: Stephen Lendman

About the author:

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.

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