The hashtag #GraciasIran (Thank You Iran) has become the number-one Twitter trend in Venezuela as Iranian tankers start delivering much-needed gasoline to the Latin American country facing a fuel crisis.
Upon the arrival of the first Iranian tanker, Venezuelans stormed Twitter to express gratitude towards Tehran for the shipments.
The Venezuelan authorities are also celebrating that the Iranian tankers loaded with gasoline and alkylate are one-by-one docking at the gasoline-starved country.
Venezuelan Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami thanked Iran on Monday for sending fuel, additives, and spare parts to increase fuel distribution and boost refinery output in his country, after the first in a flotilla of five Iranian fuel tankers docked at a Venezuelan port.
“We are fortunate to be able to count on Iran in these times,” El Aissami said from the port at the El Palito refinery in central Venezuela, where the Fortune tanker arrived overnight.
The tanker, Fortune, loaded with 43 million liters of gasoline, arrived at the refinery of El Palito, west of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
The second Iranian tanker, Forest, has also sailed into the South American country’s exclusive economic zone.
Venezuela's Telesur television network said on Monday that the Iranian vessel, Forest, had entered the territorial waters of the Latin American country, and just like Fortune — the first Iranian tanker — was escorted by the Venezuelan Navy to its destination.
“Iranian ship Forest approaches Venezuelan coasts. Military forces of that country affirm that in the next few hours she will cross the north of the island of Margarita to continue heading to the El Palito refinery,” Telesur said in a post on its Twitter account.
The other three vessels are also on their way through the Atlantic Ocean to deliver fuel to the country under US sanctions.
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.
