The United States warned against the role of Iran in the protection of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela

Relations between Tehran and Caracas have worried the United States for decades, when the late Hugo Chavez came to give Bolivar's sword to the Iranian president of the time, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Now in the midst of the Chavismo crisis and when the Maduro regime is isolated from the world, the alliance has reaffirmed.

Pompeo reiterated the anxiety aroused by this close relationship after The United States will announce the end of exemptions on the purchase of Iranian oil in order to reduce Tehran's exports "to zero".

"President Donald J. Trump has decided not to renew the significant reduction exemptions (SREs) when they expire in early May." This decision aims to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero, thus depriving the regime of its main source of income, "said the White House in a statement.

Among the eight countries to which Washington granted a 180-day exemption, which culminated on May 2, are some of the biggest buyers of Iranian crude: China, Turkey and India.

Pompeo pointed out that with this decision, President Trump's government "is accelerating the pressure campaign in a calibrated manner, which combines our national security objectives while remaining well-supplied in the global oil markets." "There will be more exemptions after May 2. Point," Pompeo said at a state department press conference.

Since arriving at the White House in January 2017, Trump increased pressure on Tehran and he kept his election promise, in May 2018, to withdraw Washington from the nuclear deal reached between the previous government of President Barack Obama and five other international powers.

The pact, signed in 2015 between Iran and the 5 + 1 group (United States, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom and Germany), limited the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran.

As a result of more severe sanctions, Iran's oil exports fell to about 800,000 barrels a day (from the previous 2.5 million barrels) and the national currency, the rial, was sharply devalued.