US Squeezes Foreign Firms to Cut Venezuela Ties

摘要

As the US government seeks to choke off Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s cash flow,State Department officials are pressuring non-US firms and governments to shut off the flow of gasoline and gasoline components to state Petroleos de Venezuela(PDVSA).The move comes as Washington has in recent weeks hinted at the imposition of secondary oil sanctions on Venezuela in an effort to strengthen an existing sanctions regime that US President Donald Trump imposed on PDVSA in January.Trump has embraced sanctions on Venezuela as part of an effort to help Juan Guaido,leader of the South American nation’s National Assembly,oust the left-wing Maduro.Guaido declared himself Venezuela’s legitimate interim president on Jan.23 in protest at Maduro’s swearing-in for a second term after what most observers say was a rigged election.