Trump's sanctions could affect oil exports to US - Venezuela

Financial and judicial sanctions imposed on Venezuela by U.S. government put the country's supply of oil to the U.S. at risk, said the Venezuelan foreign ministry on Wednesday.

In a statement, the ministry said that U.S. President Donald Trump's "unilateral and illegal" decisions "put at risk our status, for almost a century, as the closest and safest supplier of oil to the U.S.

"The text, which was directed at the American people and government, explained the sanctions "would also affect the average American citizen, faced with a possibility of a rise in gas prices, with thousands of workers running the risk of losing their savings.

"In 2016, the U.S. imported an average of 741,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela.

This statement by Caracas comes after Trump imposed new sanctions on Venezuela on Aug. 25, including restrictions on the trading of Venezuelan bonds on American financial markets.

These sanctions were taken by the U.S. after the Venezuelan government swore in a National Constituent Assembly (ANC), which was voted for on July 30, but has been seen as an unconstitutional power grab by much of the international community.

-BERNAMA