Weekly Report - 28 May 2020 (WR-20-21)

Escorted by the Venezuelan navy and air force, five Iranian tankers began arriving at Venezuelan ports from 24 May onwards, carrying an estimated 1.5m barrels of petrol between them. The tankers ran the gauntlet of an increased US naval presence in Caribbean waters. As the US applies economic sanctions against both Iran and Venezuela, there were fears President Donald Trump might order naval action to intercept the incoming flotilla. In the end, the ships were allowed to pass.