Mexican president says would sell gasoline to Venezuela if asked

MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday that his country would sell gasoline to Venezuela if asked to do so for "humanitarian" reasons, though Mexico has not received such a request from the South American country.

The US government is seeking to choke Venezuelan oil exports to starve the government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro of its main source of revenue.

Existing sanctions have cut Venezuelan exports sharply, but Maduro has held on.

As Venezuela suffers a severe gasoline shortage, Iran sent a a flotilla of five tankers of fuel to the country in May, despite Washington's criticism of the trade between the two nations.

Nevertheless, Lopez Obrador said he would be willing to send oil to Venezuela under the right circumstances.

"Mexico is an independent, sovereign country," he said. "We make our own decisions and do not mess with the policies of other countries."