CARACAS, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela on Thursday rejected the new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department against several Venezuelan officials "in the strongest terms."
In a statement, Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Ministry denounced the U.S. move as "unilateral, illegitimate and illegal coercive measures" and a "new crime of aggression."
Washington has once again demonstrated "its total disregard for international law, the self-determination of peoples and the democratic will of Venezuelans," it said.
The latest sanctions violated the agreements signed in Qatar between the governments of Venezuela and the United States in September 2023, the ministry noted.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. Treasury Department announced new individual sanctions against 16 Venezuelan officials in various branches of government.
It said that the sanctioned officials "obstructed democratic political participation and undermined the election process" during the recent Venezuela's presidential elections.
Among the officials listed were the president of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, Caryslia Rodriguez, and the first vice president of the National Assembly, Pedro Infante. ■
