Iran Press/ America-“You’ll see in the coming days a series of actions that continue to increase the pressure level against the Venezuelan leadership folks, who are working directly against the best interest of the Venezuelan people,” Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Friday.
“We’re determined to ensure that the Venezuelan people get their say,” he added.
The top US diplomat did not give further details on the nature of the planned actions.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has steadily increased sanctions against officials in the government of President Nicolas Maduro, accusing it of stifling democracy by jailing opposition leaders.
Last year, Washington imposed sanctions prohibiting trading new debt and equity issued by the Venezuelan government and its state oil company PDVSA. It has imposed several rounds of sanctions on government officials, including on Maduro.
Venezuela’s economy has collapsed under Maduro, and staple foods and basic medicine becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.
Maduro has blamed a US-led economic war for the crisis, saying Washington is waging an economic war against Caracas, and is plotting to topple his socialist government.
In August 2017, American media also reported that Trump had asked his top advisers about the potential for a US invasion of Venezuela. Around the same time, he said publicly that he would not rule out a “military option” to end the turmoil there.
Pompeo’s warning comes ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York next week attended by heads of state from around the world.
Maduro has not attended the meetings since 2015 and this week said he may not attend the gathering because of concerns over safety.
In August, two drones exploded over an outdoor rally in Caracas where Maduro was giving a speech, injuring seven soldiers.
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