U.S. Government Considers Additional Sanctions on Venezuela

(Reuters) – The U.S. government is “studying very closely” the possibility of imposing additional sanctions on individuals in Venezuela, as well as the potential revocation of licenses for oil companies working in the country. This move is in response to what it describes as a fraudulent election, according to a senior official on Friday.

Brian Nichols, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, made these remarks during a webcast briefing with reporters.

“The use of either individual sanctions or the revocation of licenses related to sectoral sanctions are something that we’re studying very closely,” Nichols stated, after being asked about the possibility of imposing new visa restrictions on individuals and terminating oil licenses.

Nichols also mentioned that the U.S. government would work “in consultation with our friends and allies who are also concerned around this issue.”

These comments come nearly two months after Venezuela’s disputed election on July 28. Electoral officials and the nation’s top court declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner with 52% of the vote; however, local vote tallies have not been disclosed, despite earlier pledges.

Shortly after the election, the opposition posted scanned copies of thousands of voting machine receipts on a website, which they claim indicate a landslide victory for their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez.