US seeks to stop Iranian fuel deliveries to Venezuela
United States prosecutors have filed a lawsuit to seize the much-needed gasoline aboard four tankers that Iran is shipping to Venezuela, the country which is facing fuel shortages due to American economic embargo on it.
The lawsuit aims to stop delivery of Iranian gasoline aboard the Liberia-flagged Bella and the Bering, and the Pandi and the Luna, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The complaint also seeks to deter future deliveries of Iranian fuel to Venezuela, and it also aims to stop the flow of revenues from petroleum sales to Iran.
The lawsuit alleges that profits from the shipments support the “full range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad.”
This week, the fourth tanker of a five-vessel Iranian flotilla carrying gasoline to Venezuela entered Venezuelan waters, approaching its fuel-starved final destination.
