PHOTO: by Presna Latina

The United States on Friday imposed new sanctions on the Venezuelan flag carrier "Conuiasa" and 40 affiliates, saying it wanted to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to cede power.

Iran Press/America: US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin made ridiculous statements to justify economic terrorism against Caracas, saying that the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has relied on the airline to shuttle corrupt regime officials around the world to fuel support for its anti-democratic efforts.

Under the new sanctions, anyone in the United States will be banned from any transactions with Conviasa, which stands for Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronautics y Servicios.

Mnuchin claimed the US has imposed sanctions on Conuiasa to protect the property of Venezuelan people and prevent what it calls "abuses of state property for corruptive and destabilizing activities."

The US Treasury Department has previously imposed sanctions on Venezuelan individuals and entities.

This is while Conviasa mostly flies domestic routes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Cuba on Thursday that the United States is pursuing its own policy of overthrowing opposing governments in order to change the situation in the Latin American region.

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