An Iranian tanker defied U.S. sanctions and reached Venezuela. The Iranian vessel is the first in a fleet of five tankers that have been sent to help the regime of Nicholas Maduro.

The oil ferried by the tankers will provide a much-needed injection in the Venezuelan economy, which has been crippled by U.S. sanctions. On the other hand, it will provide Tehran with cash that will enable the Iranian government to continue to function.

In a Tweet, Jorge Arreaza, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, said that “Iran and Venezuela have always supported each other in times of difficulty. Today, the first ship with gasoline arrives for our people.”

U.S.-Venezuelan relations have been in the spotlight as of late. A few weeks ago, two ex-Green Berets were caught while attempting to infiltrate Venezuela and overthrow the Maduro regime. The U.S. Government denied any involvement in the botched coup d’état but emphasized that regime change is still the desired policy toward Venezuela.