Pompeo Demands Countries Block Airspace to Iran’s Sanctions-Busting Air Bridge to Venezuela
Iranian specialists have been helping Venezuela restore its oil production
The US is going on the offensive once again against Venezuela, this time attempting to break up growing Iranian cooperation and assistance to Caracas. The two so-called ‘rogue states’ recently targeted for US-imposed regime change are helping each other fight coronavirus as well as Washington-led sanctions. Specifically Tehran has ramped up cargo deliveries related getting Venezuela’s derelict oil refineries fully operational.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in new statements has called on international allies to block airspace specifically for Iran’s Mahan Air, currently under US sanctions, and which has in recent days delivered cargoes of “unknown support” to the Venezuelan government, according to Pompeo’s words.
Late last week it was revealed Venezuela received a huge boost in the form of oil refinery materials and chemicals to fix the catalytic cracking unit at the 310,000 barrels-per-day Cardon refinery, essential to the nation’s gas production.
Repair of the refinery is considered essential to domestic gasoline consumption, the shortage of which has recently driven unrest amid general food and fuel shortages, especially in the rural area.
Mahan Air is considered to have close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and its deliveries to Caracas are expected to continue.
“This is the same terrorist airline that Iran used to move weapons and fighters around the Middle East,” Pompeo asserted in his Wednesday remarks.
Pompeo demanded the flights “must stop” and called on all countries to halt sanctioned aircraft from flying through their airspace, and to further refuse access to their airports.
Mahan Air first came under sanctions in 2011 as Washington alleged it provided financial and non-financial support to the IRGC.
Source: Zero Hedge
Two so-called ‘rogue states’ recently targeted for US-imposed regime change are helping each other fight coronavirus as well as Washington-led sanctions.
Late last week it was revealed Venezuela received a huge boost in the form of oil refinery materials and chemicals to fix the catalytic cracking unit at the 310,000 barrels-per-day Cardon refinery, essential to the nation’s gas supply.
This as a fuel and food shortage crisis has driven protests and clashes with police, especially in hard-hit rural areas, over the past month.
“Thanks to the support of our allies in the Islamic Republic of Iran… We will overcome our difficulties,” Erling Rojas, vice minister for refining and petrochemicals in Venezuela’s Oil Ministry, stated when the much-needed refinery parts arrived last Thursday.
He further underscored in colorfully provocative rhetoric that Iran’s support is “driving the gringos in the White House crazy.”
It’s expected such sanctions-busting cooperation will continue between the two countries, as there’s also been an uptick in planes flying directly between capitals, as Reuters reported:
Planes flying from Tehran landed at the Las Piedras airport on the Paraguana peninsula in western Venezuela, where Cardon is located, on Wednesday and Thursday, according to data on flight-tracking service FlightRadar24 reviewed by Reuters. The planes were operated by private Iranian airline Mahan Air.
Washington imposed sanctions on Mahan Air in 2011, saying it provided financial and other support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards.
Venezuela is also busy attempting to restore operations at the 146,000-barrels-per-day El Palito refinery in central Venezuela as well.
The two sides are further said to be deepening cooperation in terms of response to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s hit the Islamic Republic far worse over the past months, while Venezuela’s numbers are deeply uncertain given what’s attributed to lack of widespread testing and transparency.
Iranian state media described a major conference call between top Iranian and Venezuelean health officials where the two sides “exchanged experiences, clinical protocols and COVID-19 preventive measures in the context of the World Health Organization’s recommendations.” It followed agreements for deepening ties amid the crisis made between Presidents Hassan Rouhani and Nicolás Maduro during an April 13 phone call.
Iran’s COVID-19 count is a over 90,000 confirmed cases, including nearly 6,000 deaths, while Venezulea officially has 323 confirmed cases and ten deaths.
Source: Zero Hedge
From where does the fat popinjay think he gets the power to tell any nation what thay can/cannot allow within their air space ????? They would do well, to concern themselves with what’s going on in their own backyard with folks dropping dead by the score, mainly due to the lack of care by the very same people, telling others what to do.
The US is NOT the ruler of the world and the sooner they realize that, the better….bullying is not
diplomatic negotiating and the Evil Empire has no right to intercede in international airspace rules.
I don’t think that Washington realizes it, but the rest of the world hates the US government…
as do the majority of its citizens!
They can’t be hating them that much, Mary, since they keep voting the same trash back in. Solution is not to vote.
the empire is desperate
Pompeo is a CIA bloody fascist bastard
If you kept tighten your grip ussa the more countries will slip away!
The epidemic in Iran is well past. In fact, their deaths/million is very low, on a par with Germany (ECDC). A lot of that is due to its young population that are barely affected. In any case, this is no longer a concern in Iran, unless they want to make it so.
Karen Hudes: A member of the US’ Armed forces has this to say about what is really going on in the military.
https://nbakay.wordpress.com/2020/03/06/karen-hudes-a-member-of-the-us-armed-forces-has-this-to-say-about-what-is-really-going-on-in-the-military/