Two Iranian ships that once appeared to be headed to Venezuela are now in the Baltic Sea approaching the Russian city of St. Petersburg, according to MarineTraffic, a website that tracks ships.The position of the ships, including the floating military base called the Makran, indicate they are likely headed to St. Petersburg to participate in Russia’s Navy Day events, according to two defense officials familiar with the ships’ movements. By Oren Liebermann and Ellie Kaufman. Full Text -> CNN

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It is not exactly the Cuban missile crisis. In early June, a pair of warships rounded the Cape of Good Hope and became the first Iranian naval vessels ever to enter the Atlantic without port stops. The irins Makran, inching along at the speed one would expect of a former oil tanker, is thought to be carrying fast attack craft—small, agile missile-toting warships—bound for Venezuela. The United States has warned that any arms delivery would be a “provocative act and a threat to our partners in this hemisphere”, meriting “appropriate measures”. Full Text -> TheEconomist

Finally, the Venezuelans could generally make themselves nuisances in nearby waters, much as the Iranians do in the Gulf; the Caribbean is rich with cruise ships, merchant cargo and larger vessels headed toward the Panama Canal. They could also link up with Cuban naval vessels to form an axis of annoyance across the eastern Caribbean. By James Stavridis. Full Text -> Bloomberg

The Biden administration is urging Venezuela and Cuba to turn away two Iranian warships believed to be carrying arms intended for transfer to Caracas, while vowing that the U.S. will take “appropriate measures” to deter what it sees as a “threat” to America’s partners in the Western Hemisphere. By Lara Seligman, et al. Full Text -> Politico

The Biden administration has issued a stern warning to Tehran following a news report that an Iranian navy vessel may be headed to Venezuela to deliver military hardware. “The delivery of such weapons would be a provocative act and a threat to our partners in this hemisphere,” read a statement issued by the Pentagon on Wednesday night. “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. By Jared Szuba. Full Text -> AlMonitor