Venezuela to add complaint about persecution against tankers moving Venezuela oil to referral filed before ICC

Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza informed on Thursday, May 14, will add evidence on the US government’s persecution against tankers of trading partners, moving gasoline to the country and Venezuelan oil abroad during the pandemic, to the referral filed in the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. “Amid the pandemic, Washington persecutes tankers moving our oil and bringing gasoline. It is a flagrant violation to international law and the fundamental rights of Venezuelans,” he wrote on his Twitter account @jaarreaza. This statement comes in response to the threats of new US sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran in retaliation for shipments of gasoline to the Latin American country. According to a US high-ranking official, the Donald Trump’s administration is evaluation measures against Iran’s cooperation. The unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US Department of state on Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA have prevented the arrival of supplies and additives for the production of gasoline in Venezuela. The ongoing threats against third-party countries and international firms have also contributed to delays in gasoline supply in the last month. As part of the escalation of attacks, Washington has also sanctioned PDVSA’s main trading partners Rosneft Trading and TNK Trading International, subsidiaries of Rosneft.