MNA � Stressing Iran has not given gasoline to Venezuela for free, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said that exporting gasoline to Venezuela was a trade deal.

Zanganeh went on to dismiss the rumors that Iran has given gasoline to Venezuela for free, saying that gasoline exports to the country have been in the form of trade deals.

Previously, he said that the fuel sale to Venezuela had been conducted at the �price market� and that part of the money had already been transferred to Iran.

Noting that Iran is doing business with Venezuela, Zangeneh said that "In order to continue exporting, we need to see how the negotiations between the two countries are progressing."

Iran has sent five tankers loaded with 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and alkylate to Venezuela to help jump-start the oil refineries in the Latin American state amid a fuel crisis.

Venezuelan President Nicol�s Maduro in a message termed the shipment of Iranian fuel to Venezuela as a sign of Tehran-Caracas solidarity.