Venezuela Arrests Two Opposition Leaders Hours After US Imposes Sanctions on President Maduro

The US government sanctioned Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro just one day after the socialist leader held a controversial vote to rewrite the constitution, further isolating the politically embattled country.The move to sanction Maduro has brought the US one step closer to imposing broader economic sanctions on the country, which are both feared for the impact they may have on the Venezuelan people and believed to be necessary to put an end to Maduro’s government...

Should the sanctions on Maduro not have their intended effect, the US Congress is considering targeting Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, followed by the Socialist Party’s No. 2, Diosdado Cabello, and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino in future sanctions, a Venezuelan official with knowledge of the ongoing discussion told BuzzFeed News.

The official, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, added that if individual sanctions do not stem the political crisis, President Donald Trump’s administration will likely target Venezuela’s oil sector, which accounts for 95% of its export earnings and about 25% of its gross domestic product. According to the official, the US would first stop selling refined gasoline to Venezuela, then issue a full oil embargo.

“We don’t comment on future sanctions, but we will continue to monitor the situation,” Mnuchin told reporters at a White House briefing on Monday.

Sanctions on the oil and gas industry, experts agree, would hurt average Venezuelans who are already struggling to find medicine and get enough food for a single daily meal. It would also potentially cause inflation, already in the triple digits, to surpass 1,000%.

"It could bring Venezuela to its knees," Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the nonprofit Americas Society/Council of the Americas, told BuzzFeed News...

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