US warns neighboring countries not to let in Iranian warships sailing across the Atlantic and thought to be carrying weapons

• The US has been publicly and privately warning Venezuela and Cuba not to let in Iranian warships.
• Two Iranian ships thought to be carrying arms, possibly for transfer, are crossing the Atlantic.
• The Pentagon has said that "delivery of such weapons would be a provocative act and a threat."

The US has been warning Venezuela and Cuba not to allow two Iranian warships sailing across the Atlantic to dock in their ports, Politico reported Thursday, citing several people briefed on the matter.

The Makran, an oil tanker Iran converted into a massive sea base for expeditionary naval operations, is accompanied by the frigate Sahand and is thought to be carrying weapons. The two vessels have completed about half of their journey to across the Atlantic. Venezuela is believed to be the intended destination.

Satellite images taken about a month ago by Maxar and reported by USNI News showed the large vessel carrying several fast-attack craft like the ones Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has repeatedly used to harass US Navy and Coast Guard vessels in the Persian Gulf.

It is, however, unclear if it is still carrying those boats. If they are still on board, it is unclear if Iran intends to transfer those boats or other weapons or to carry out some other mission entirely.

Iran has not made its intentions known. Either way, the US has made its position on this particular issue very clear.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told CNN last week that "we would note that the delivery of such weapons would be a provocative act and a threat to our partners in this hemisphere. As such we would reserve the right to take appropriate measures in concert with our partners to deter the delivery or transit of such weapons."

The Biden administration has also been putting pressure on Venezuela and Cuba through diplomatic channels, urging Caracas and Havana not to let in the two Iranian vessels, Politico reported, citing two defense officials and a congressional official.

A current administration official told Politico that Iran is possibly delivering weapons from a sale made under the previous administration and blamed the Trump administration for pushing Iran and Venezuela together through maximum pressure campaigns.

Elliott Abrams, who served as the special envoy for Iran and Venezuela during the Trump administration, told Politico that such accusations were "petty" and "political" and indicated that the official is "far more interested in blaming predecessors than in protecting US national security."

"We all hope diplomacy works," he said. "If it does not, this administration should get ready to act - not ready to blame more and more people for their inaction."

During final months of the Trump administration, there were concerns about possible Iranian missiles sales to Venezuela.

"I've made one very concrete statement about this: We will not accept, we will not tolerate, the placement in Venezuela of Iranian missiles that can reach the United States," Abrams said in December.

"We will not accept it," he stressed at the time. "And if they try to do it, at least in this administration, we will try to interdict it, and if they arrive in Venezuela, they will be dealt with in Venezuela."