An Iranian ship was approaching the Venezuelan port of La Guaira on Sunday with a cargo of food that will supply the South American nation's first Iranian supermarket, according to Refinitiv Eikon and Iran's embassy in Venezuela.

The Iranian-flagged general cargo ship Golsan, owned by Mosakhar Darya Shipping Co, departed on May 15 from Bandar Abbas. Five tankers left for the Caribbean from the same port in March after loading fuel, according to Eikon data.

"The Golsan will arrive carrying food to open the first Iranian supermarket in Venezuela," the Iranian Embassy wrote on Saturday via its Twitter account. It did not provide details.

Iran supplied 1.5 million barrels of fuel to Venezuela last month amid a collapse of refinery operations and tightening sanctions by the United States that has made it more difficult for Venezuela to obtain fuel on international markets.

AP reported that experts said that in addition to food, the most recent shipment could also be carrying equipment to help repair Venezuela's collapsed refineries.

"That ship can carry 23,000 tons," said Russ Dallen, head of the Miami-based investment firm Caracas Capital Markets, who tracked the ship's progress. "That would be enough food for a whole chain of Iranian supermarkets across the country, not just one."

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Iran is expected to dispatch two to three monthly shipments of gasoline to Venezuela, said source of Reuters, which would help offload the gasoline inventory that Iran accumulates, while helping to alleviate the fuel shortage in Venezuela.

The growing bilateral trade could lead to retaliation from the United States, which has enacted extensive sanctions programs against the two countries.

(With input from agencies)