Iran: Iranian fuel tankers crossing into Venezuelan waters has defied US sanction pressures against Tehran and Caracas, an expert said here. The deal between Iran and Venezuela which came amid unprecedented US sanctions on both contries is primarily a "humiliation" of American policies, Foad Izadi, a professor at the Faculty of World Studies of the University of Tehran, said on Sunday. On Sunday, the first vessel of Iranian five-tanker flotilla loaded with gasoline crossed into the Venezuelan territorial waters, escorted by the the Venezuelan navy, reports Xinhua news agency. On Monday, two other tankers entered the Caribbean Sea and are heading to the Latin American country's refinery ports. Squeezed under economic pressures, both Iran and Venezuela struggle to evade the impacts of embargos by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The Islamic Republic has a surplus of oil and gasoline, due to a significant drop in its exports pursuant to the sanctions and global economic setback caused by novel coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Venezuela is in dire need of fuel because of its aged refinery facilities and inefficient energy management, which has made it rely on its imports. (IANS)