Trump adds pressure on Venezuela by blocking oil shipments to Cuba

[corbe]

Trump adds pressure on Venezuela by blocking oil shipments to Cuba

by John Siciliano

April 05, 2019 06:32 PM

The Trump administration on Friday increased economic pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by sanctioning 34 vessels used by the country's oil company PDVSA to transport fuel to Cuba.

A senior administration official told reporters that the action could be followed by additional economic measures against Venezuela, in a protracted effort to force Maduro to step down and allow the country's elected leader under the constitution, Juan Guaido, to take complete control.

The official also said that the option of using military force to oust Maduro is still an option. 

“It remains on the table” and is “seriously being considered," the administration official said.

<..snip..>

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/trump-adds-pressure-on-venezuela-by-blocking-oil-shipments-to-cuba

[TomSea]

It does not sound like we are officially physically blocking the flow of oil to Cuba yet.. That would be an important step.

Let's not forget, Cuba is not paying for this oil per se from my understanding. The oil is basically a payment for what Cuba does in Venezuela, propping the government up.

[corbe]

New sanctions just the start for Cuba over support for Venezuelan president: John Bolton

by Joel Gehrke

April 06, 2019 04:53 PM
 
President Trump plans to intensify economic pressure on Cuba over the communist regime’s support for Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, according to his top national security adviser.

“The Cuban regime has served as a primary accomplice to Maduro’s theft of Venezuela’s wealth & resources, and is complicit in Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis,” John Bolton, the White House national security adviser, tweeted Saturday. “The U.S. is prepared to hold accountable any country or company that facilitates the repression of the Venezuelan people.”

Bolton issued that warning after the Treasury Department blacklisted 34 ships that transport Venezuelan oil to the island. The Cuban regime denounced the tactics as “economic piracy,” but the U.S. officials maintain that they are stopping Maduro from providing payment for the Cuban security officials who are helping him maintain control of Venezuela in the midst of a severe political and economic crisis.

<..snip..>

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/new-sanctions-just-the-start-for-cuba-over-support-for-venezuelan-president-bolton

[corbe]

   @TomSea please Merge with one of the earlier Venezuela Threads if you think appropriate.  Thanks.