The United States has on Friday targeted Venezuela with fresh sanctions against the oil sector again, further escalating humanitarian crisis in the Latin American nation.
According to ANI news reports, the new US sanctions imposed by the treasury department, has targeted four firms from Italy and Liberia. Around nice ships which belongs to those firms have been sanctioned.
Meanwhile, the United Nations outlined that the US sanctions aggravated the Venezuelan economic situation, with Idriss Jazairy, UN special rapporteur, bringing attention to the humanitarian crisis in the South American country.
Venezuela has been facing political and economic turmoil, which was worsened by power blackouts, humanitarian aid shortages and hyperinflation.
The opposition National assembly head Juan Guaido has declared himself as self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela in the month of January, as people took it to streets to protests calling for President Nicolas Maduro’s resignation.
Washington has immediately extended support to Guaido, urging other countries to also back Guaido.
Several nations have called on for a hold election or Maduro to step down, as they largely see the presidential election which had brought Maduro to power as rigged.
The embattled president Maduro still holds his position and has the backing from the country’s military.
Nations like the United Kingdom, France, US and Japan had recognized Guaido as the interim Venezuelan president, but however, on the other hand, Russia, China and several others have backed Maduro, slamming international power influence over Venezuelan internal affairs.