Iran, Venezuela forced Washington to respect intl. law: envoy

In an interview with the Lebanese Al-Mayadin network on Wednesday, Soltani said, "Venezuela and Iran have said no to Washington on behalf of the world and emphasized their rights to free trade.”

He noted that that the United States can no longer tell the world what to do, and many countries will now demand their rights.

"The presence of Iranian tankers in Venezuela is not only an achievement for Iran and Venezuela but also an achievement for all the world," he stressed.

Iran has sent five tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela.

According to reports, the fourth tanker, Foxon, has entered the Caribbean, approaching the waters of the South American country and will be escorted by the Venezuelan armed forces, as in the case of its three predecessors.

The five-tanker Iranian-flagged flotilla is carrying up to 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and components to help the country ease an acute scarcity that has forced Venezuelans to wait for hours in lines at service stations.

The shipments have stirred the wrath of the US administration in Washington as both Iran and Venezuela are under illegal sanctions imposed by the White House.

The administration of President Donald Trump, which has returned US sanctions against Iran after leaving a historic nuclear accord between the Islamic Republic and world powers, said earlier this month that it was considering “measures” to take in response to the shipments.

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