Brazil: Court orders fuelling of stranded Iranian ships

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Brazil's Supreme Court on Thursday gave the go-ahead to its state-run oil company to refuel two Iranian vessels stranded at a port due to lack of fuel, local media reported.

The two vessels have been anchored at the Port of Paranagua, the country's second-largest port, for 50 days, Brazilian daily Folha de S.Paulo reported.

Petrobras oil company had earlier refused to refuel the stranded vessels fearing they belonged to a company on the U.S. sanctions list.

The top court clarified that the ships were not owned by a company on the U.S. list, adding that Petrobras will not suffer any U.S. action if it follows the court order.

The court decision came after Iran threatened Brazil with reducing imports if the issue was not resolved.

Every year Brazil exports to Iran about $2,000 million worth of goods such as corn, meat and sugar.

Tensions have been escalating between the U.S. and Iran after President Donald Trump withdrew in May 2018 from the nuclear pact world powers struck with Iran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from economic sanctions.

Trump has since embarked on a campaign to scuttle the agreement, including the reimposition of sanctions on Iranian crude oil that were lifted as part of that agreement.