Vladimir Padrino, the Venezuela Defense Minister, accused the United States of "provocation" after a navy ship sailed near the South American country's coast earlier this week as part of its "freedom of navigation" operation.

The U.S. military said Nitze, the missile destroyer, conducted a freedom of navigation operation off Venezuela's coastal border. The vessel sailed outside Venezuela's territorial waters, but within an area, the Venezuelan government claims they control.

In a speech broadcast on state television, Padrino said the Venezuelan government was not offended by the incident, calling it a "childish act" and "an empty victory." However, he warned that any U.S. military ship that enters the Venezuelan coast would be met with a response from the country's armed forces, Reuters reported.

In a statement released by South Commander spokesperson Admiral Craig Fuller, he asserted the U.S. government would continue to operate wherever international law allows, as reported by Aljazeera.

Venezuela and Iran

The move comes after American President Donald Trump promised to deploy more military forces to the Caribbean to disrupt narcotics shipments allegedly overseen by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela has received sanctions on its oil industry in an effort to remove Maduro from power. Suffering from increasing isolation, the Venezuelan government turned to Iran to deliver fuel.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the government would impose sanctions on five Iranian ship captains after they delivered more than 1.5 million barrel of gasoline to Venezuela in May. According to the Voice of America, the penalties will effectively block the captains' assets, as well as affect their careers and prospects.

Speaking at a news conference, the state secretary warned mariners against doing business with Maduro's government and reaffirmed their support to the opposition leader, Juan Guaido.

Earlier in June, Hossein Salami, chief commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, praised Iran's resolve to send fuel to the Latin American country despite receiving threats from the U.S. government.

U.S. Sanctions

Washington began imposing sanctions on the Venezuelan economy in 2018 to force elected President Nicolas Maduro from his seat. Part of the sanctions froze the U.S-based assets of state-owned oil and gas company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

Iran also received sanctions in 2018 when Trump announced the United States' withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. He also froze billions of dollars of Iranian funds in foreign banks and restricted the country's ability to make nuclear weapons.

The sanctions, which began on August 6, 2018, affected Iran's purchase of commercial aircraft and services, and its exportation of carpets and food to the U.S. Iran's trade in dollars, software, and automotive were also affected.

On November 4, 2018, the sanctions expanded its coverage, affecting industries such as shipping, oil, energy, and financial services.

Farhad Alavi, a managing partner at a Washington law firm, said the sanction caused a severe drop in Iran's oil exports, the New York Times reports.

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