US Treasury imposes sanctions on Venezuelan foreign minister

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, the latest in a list of officials blacklisted by Washington as part of attempts to ramp up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro and his legitimate government.

The sanctions were announced in a statement on the department’s website on Friday, also targeting a senior Venezuelan judge, Carol Padilla, accused by the US of having a role in the ongoing crisis in the Latin American country.

The United States "will continue to target corrupt Maduro insiders, including those tasked with conducting diplomacy and carrying out justice on behalf of this illegitimate regime," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

Mnuchin also announced that any US assets belonging directly or indirectly to the two Venezuelan officials would be blocked.

The United States has already imposed numerous rounds of sanctions against Venezuela following the recent political developments in the country.

SS