Venezuela condemns US move to reimpose sanctions as 'blackmail'
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The government warned that it will suspend deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants residing in the US, an initiative which was originally agreed on in October 2023.
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Units of El Palito refinery near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Venezuela on Tuesday strongly condemned the US move to reinstate sanctions on oil and gas, denouncing it as "rude and improper blackmail."
The government also warned that it will suspend deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants residing in the US, an initiative that was originally agreed on in October 2023 and involved the repatriation of undocumented Venezuelan migrants through chartered flights.
"All of Venezuela rejects the rude and improper blackmail and ultimatum expressed by the US government," Vice President Delcy Rodriguez wrote on X. "If they take the wrong step of intensifying the economic aggression against Venezuela... as of February 13 repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants would be immediately canceled."
Rodriguez added that "any existing cooperation mechanisms would be subject to review as a countermeasure against the deliberate attempt to blow the Venezuelan oil and gas industry."
Venezuela toda rechaza el grosero e indebido chantaje y ultimátum manifestado por el gobierno de EEUU. Si dan el paso en falso de intensificar la agresión económica contra Venezuela, a pedido de los extremistas lacayos en el país, a partir del 13 de febrero quedarían revocados de… https://t.co/cLo5Di2Dck
— Delcy Rodríguez (@delcyrodriguezv) January 30, 2024
Read more: US warns Venezuela: Stick to elections conditions or face consequences
The United States began reinstating sanctions on Venezuela and its mining sector after the country's Supreme Court maintained the disqualification of an opposition leader in the Venezuelan elections.
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control released a statement on Monday detailing the decision, saying all US-based companies cooperating with state-owned Venezuelan mining firm Minerven should draw their partnerships to a close by February 13.
The US had warned Caracas last week that some sanction relief that was granted in the elections deal between both countries would be stopped if a "violation" was made.
This deal involved providing relief from energy sanctions on the Venezuelan government in exchange for implementing measures to open up the electoral process, including permitting European Union observers and establishing a procedure to lift bans on top opponents, allowing for a more equitable political environment.
However, on Friday, the Venezuelan Supreme Court sustained a 15-year-old ban on Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader who had won an opposition primary in October, and invalidated her replacement's candidacy, Henrique Capriles, who ran twice for presidency before.
The move prompted the US to reinstate some sanctions amid deprecation with Venezuela's decision to sideline Machado.
Read more: Maduro says Venezuela economy grew 5% in 2023, could reach 8% in 2024
Last week, Venezuelan Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab announced that the country's security forces successfully thwarted preparations for five terrorist attacks and conspiracies, leading to the detention of 27 individuals, some of whom happen to be members of the opposition.
One of the terrorist operations involved assassinating Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro himself. Maduro accused both the CIA and the Colombian army of being involved in the plot and said that agreements with the opposition over the country's 2024 presidential election were "mortally wounded" as a result of the plots.
