United States prepares to reinstate sanctions on Venezuela after disqualification of Maria Corina Machado

Government of The United States is preparing to reinstate sanctions on Venezuelan oil and gold There was an increase a month ago, After Friday Chavismo, through a decision of justice, decided to maintain the disqualification of Maria Corina MachadoOpposition candidate for this year’s elections.

In October, Joe Biden’s government lifted some restrictions for six months and after Chavismo announced they would be reinstated, according to the agencies. Bloomberg And Reuters Based on US administration sources.

Biden’s top adviser on issues for Latin America and the Caribbean reposted that information on his X social network account.

The United States will wait a few months, national security spokesman John Kirby confirmed at the daily White House briefing. “We have options at our disposal. I’m not going to go into any of that at this point, but we certainly have options regarding restrictions and the kinds of things we can take. They have until April“White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference.

Chavismo had already announced before the White House announcement that Venezuela would respond with “severity” and “reciprocal” measures.

“We are very wary of steps (in Washington) in the coming days that are considered offensive to this country’s right to live in peace, to progress and to take all unilateral coercive measures,” Jorge said. A ruling party legislator heads negotiations with the opposition.

“If there is an aggressive action, our response will be serious, reciprocal and energetic,” Rodriguez, the brother of Venezuelan Vice President Delsey Rodriguez, told the press.

On Friday the 26th, Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) ratified the political disqualification that prevents María Corina Machado from participating in elections until 2036, which the opposition leader described this Monday as an act of “judicial crime”.

Last week, even before that announcement, the United States government criticized the Venezuelan regime earlier in the week, with which they attacked protesters or journalists.

On Tuesday night, the State Department questioned the Maduro dictatorship, saying it was “deeply concerned about the arrest warrants and detentions against at least 33 Venezuelans.” But he also added a warning for the Chavista regime: He said that actions contrary to these agreements “will have consequences.”

The statement was released on Monday the 22nd after Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Sabe, ordered the arrest of journalist Sebastiana Barrez. Infobay, and a group of other communicators and human rights activists including lawyers Tamara Suju, Vander Villalobos, Norbe Marin, and veterans Mario Caratu Molina and Jose Colina. He accused them of conspiring as part of an alleged operation he called the “White Bracelet,” which Chavismo says seeks to attack Maduro.

The Biden administration made several agreements with the Maduro government around the end of 2023. The first of those agreements involved the return of flights from the United States to Caracas with Venezuelan nationals deported from North America.

Then, within the framework of the Barbados Accords, in which the regime committed the opposition to holding elections and lifting sanctions on candidates, another major action taken by Washington with Caracas was the partial lifting of sanctions on Venezuela on issues such as exploitation. Oil And no Gold.

The United States government said at the time that the agreement was also beneficial to Americans. In the first month, to return to the legal market, sales of illegal Venezuelan oil had already seen a decline.

“Oil production was part of illicit trade, mostly with the People’s Republic of China, but also with other countries, including Iran. What we are seeing now is illicit trade returning to the formal sector after many years outside the formal sector. This is positive as it prevents this product from reaching China and Iran. It is better for Venezuelans and since the oil is sold on the black market, there is a 30% to 35% discount on the price. And that’s good for American consumers because we get the oil and other products that we need,” Brian Nichols, the State Department’s undersecretary for Latin American and Caribbean affairs, said in November.

The third agreement was the most controversial of all because it also had no setbacks. In late December, the Chavista regime released ten Americans imprisoned in Caracas but Included is the US release of Maduro ally Alex Saab, who was detained for money laundering.

Saab is a Colombian businessman who is very close to Maduro, who is also accused of being his front man. That agreement also included the release of 20 other Venezuelan political prisoners.