MNA � In a video conference with Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Kitack Lim, the CEO of Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) Mohammad Rastad criticized US' threats against the Iranian oil tankers carrying gasoline to Venezuela in the recent week and called for the international body to launch legal proceedings against the US over the case.

Rastad who is also Iran's deputy minister of roads and urban development, in this conversation, also considered such US threats against the international trade regulation underlining that the safety of seafarers should not be threatened by any country.

He urged the International Maritime Organization to take a serious measure against the said US threat and to launch legal proceedings against the case.

"In the current situation, unfortunately, I must say that the Iranian navy is still being threatened by the United States," Rastad said.

The IMO official, for his part, lamented that "even under the coronavirus pandemic which has made some difficulties to shipping across the globe, we are unfortunately coping with such technical issues."

He hoped that Iran could continue its international shipping without any problems in the future.

Iran has sent five tankers loaded with 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and alkylate to Venezuela to help jump-start the oil refineries in the Latin American state amid a fuel crisis.

The fourth Iranian tanker �FAXON�, carrying gasoline, took berth at Venezuelan port on Friday.

US had put some military threat on the tankers since Iran and Venezuela are both under its sanctions.

The US sanctions on the two countries have so far had little impact on their policies, for Tehran and Caracas believe they have not violated any international regulations.