Iran prepared to retaliate if U.S. stopped Venezuela-bound tankers: Iranian news agency

An Iranian news agency close to the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday Iran’s naval forces were preparing to target U.S. commercial vessels in the Gulf last month in case U.S. forces interfered with Venezuela-bound Iranian oil tankers.

“According to reports received by Noor News, after increasing military threats against Iranian vessels headed for Venezuela, an order was issued to Iran’s armed forces to identify and track several U.S. merchant vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman,” Noor News said on its website.

“Options for reciprocal action were immediately identified and monitored for possible operations,” the agency added.