The Biden administration is privately urging the governments of Venezuela and Cuba to turn away two Iranian naval ships believed to be carrying arms intended for transfer to Caracas
, as the vessels make their way across the Atlantic Ocean this week, according to three people briefed on the situation.
Meanwhile, Caracas is trying to leverage the situation to gain relief from U.S. sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, according to two additional people familiar with the situation. U.S. intermediaries have communicated to Venezuelan officials that letting the ships dock there would make it less likely that the U.S. would provide the country with sanctions relief.
Satellite imagery of the ship from early May provided by Maxar Technologies showed seven such vessels placed on its deck, but it was unclear whether those boats were still aboard when the ship began its journey.the Trump administration warned Representatives for the White House, State Department and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, last week Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby warned that a new arms delivery “would be a provocative act and a threat to our partners in this hemisphere.” He added that the U.S. reserves the right “to take appropriate measures — in concert with our partners — to deter the delivery or transit of such weapons.
Lawmakers receiving regular briefings on the matter have been publicly pressuring the Biden administration to work to deter the ships. “If Iran helps Venezuela develop tactics similar to those practiced by the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] in the Persian Gulf region, that could have in my view serious repercussions in the future,” he said.POLITICO reported
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