The United States declared Venezuela a national security threat on Monday and ordered sanctions against seven officials from the oil-rich country in the worst bilateral diplomatic dispute since socialist President Nicolas Maduro took office in 2013.
US President Barack Obama signed and issued the executive order, which senior administration officials said did not target Venezuela's energy sector or broader economy. But the move stokes tensions between Washington and Caracas just as US relations with Cuba, a longtime US foe in Latin America and key ally to Venezuela, are set to be normalized.
Venezuealan President Nicolas Maduro angrily denounced the sanctions as an attempt to topple his government.
The White House said the order targeted people whose actions undermined democratic processes or institutions, had committed acts of violence or abuse of human rights, were involved in prohibiting or penalizing freedom of expression, or were government officials involved in public corruption.
"We are deeply concerned by the Venezuelan government's efforts to escalate intimidation of its political opponents. Venezuela's problems cannot be solved by criminalizing dissent," he said.
"President Barack Obama ... has personally decided to take on the task of defeating my government and intervening in Venezuela to control it," Maduro said in a televised address.
The two countries have not had full diplomatic representation since 2008, when late socialist leader Hugo Chavez expelled then-US Ambassador Patrick Duddy. Washington responded by expelling Venezuelan envoy Bernardo Alvarez.
The individuals' would have their property and interests in the United States blocked or frozen and would be denied entry into the United States. US citizens and permanent residents would be prohibited from doing business with them.
"We've seen many times that the Venezuelan government tries to distract from its own actions by blaming the United States or other members of the international community for events inside Venezuela," Earnest said in the statement. "These efforts reflect a lack of seriousness on the part of the Venezuelan government to deal with the grave situation it faces."
US officials told reporters in a conference call that the executive order did not target the Venezuelan people or economy and stressed that upcoming legislative elections should be held without intimidation of the government's opponents.
The sanctions effectively confirm Venezuela as the United States' primary adversary in Latin America, a label that was for decades applied to Communist-run Cuba until Washington and Havana announced a diplomatic breakthrough in December.
Washington said last week it would respond through diplomatic channels to Venezuela's demand for it to cut the US Embassy's staff in Caracas after the government called for a plan within 15 days to reduce staff to 17 from 100 at the American facility.
Commercial ties between Venezuela and the United States have largely been unaffected by diplomatic flare-ups, which were common during Chavez's 14-year-rule.
The United States is Venezuela's top trading partner, and the OPEC member in 2014 remained the fourth-largest supplier of crude to the United States at an average of 733,000 barrels per day - despite a decade-long effort by Caracas to diversify its oil shipments to China and India.
Opposition leader and twice-presidential candidate Henrique Capriles told Reuters the sanctions were a problem for a corrupt elite in the Maduro government, but not ordinary Venezuelans.
Venezuela Court Says Its Ruling On Presidential Vote Will Be "Final" Venezuela President Blocks Social Media Platform X For 10 Days In Country "There Will Be No Forgiveness": Nicolas Maduro Warns Those Opposing His Win 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing "Pivotal Moment": Key Doctor Body Resumes Strike 2 Days After Calling It Off Ayatollah Khamenei Warns Of "Divine Wrath" If Iran Backs Down Against Israel Ajit Pawar Says Might Stay Out Of Assembly Polls, Son May Take Over "Pivotal Moment": Key Doctor Body Resumes Strike 2 Days After Calling It Off Navalny's Wife Rejects Finding He Died From "Combination Of Illnesses" Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.