WASHINGTON—The U.S. government slapped sanctions on Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolás Maduro on Monday, the Trump’s administration’s toughest move so far against his government in response to Sunday’s election of a legislative superbody Washington denounced as a “sham” vote.
No oil-related measures were included in the announcement, but such measures remain under consideration, according to congressional sources and a person familiar with the White House’s deliberations on the matter.
Under the sanctions, all of Maduro’s assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction were frozen, and Americans are barred from doing business with him, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said.
“By sanctioning Maduro, the United States makes clear our opposition to the policies of his regime and our support for the people of Venezuela who seek to return their country to a full and prosperous democracy,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
