The United States makes good on its threat and reimposes sanctions on Venezuela for banning opponents

As he announced on Friday, after the ruling of the Supreme Court of Venezuela which had disqualified the candidacies of opposition leaders, such as María Corina Machado and Henrique Capriles, The United States reimposed sanctions on Caracas on Tuesdaywhich especially affected its oil industry.

“The actions of Nicolás Maduro and his representatives in Venezuela, including the arrest of members of the democratic opposition and the ban from running in this year’s presidential elections, are not consistent with the agreements signed in Barbados last October by representatives of Nicolás Maduro and the United Platform (the opposition coalition), we read in a statement from the State Department, coming from Washington.

Last year, in support of the Barbados Agreement, signed between the Maduro regime and the opposition, under the auspices of Norway, the United States lifted part of the sanctions and provided aid to the Venezuelan oil and gas sector .

“In the absence of progress between Maduro and his representatives and the opposition United Platform, particularly regarding the possibility of allowing all presidential candidates to compete in this year’s elections, the United States will not renew the license when it expires on April 18, 2024,” the US Foreign Office statement explained.

Additionally, it announced that it will revoke the license that authorized transactions related to Minerven, Venezuela’s state-run gold mining company.

“The United States remains firmly committed to supporting dialogue between the parties and the aspirations of the Venezuelan people for a democratic future. We will continue to work with the international community and all peaceful democratic actors across the political spectrum in Venezuela and will benefit from the mechanisms at our disposal to encourage a return to the principles of the Barbados agreement”, reads the text released by Joe Biden’s government.