Venezuela calls Trump executive order 'new, serious attack'

CARACAS - Venezuela on Tuesday called a White House decision to freeze all Venezuelan state assets in the United States "a new and serious attack."

The new sanction imposed by the Donald Trump administration is the latest in a series of "arbitrary measures of economic terrorism against the Venezuelan people," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"Washington has issued another executive order that aims to formalize the criminal economic, financial and trade embargo already underway, which has caused severe harm to Venezuelan society in recent years," the ministry said.

"The ruling elite in the United States aim to grant legal status to the embargo of all assets and properties belonging to the Venezuelan state," the ministry added.

Trump issued the executive order on Monday, announcing "all property and interests in property of the government of Venezuela that are in the United States... are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt with".

Instead of supporting the ongoing conciliation process between Venezuela's ruling socialist party and far-right opposition, Washington hopes the financial pressure will generate enough discontent to topple the government of President Nicolas Maduro, said the ministry.

"Through its renewed interventionist measures, it is clear that the US government and its allies are betting on the failure of the political dialogue in Venezuela," the ministry said.

The government pledged to continue to pursue talks with the opposition, regardless of the sanctions.

Maduro "ratifies his call for unity" among all Venezuelan sectors "to confront this new phase of economic and political terrorism," said the ministry, adding the executive order is in "violation of the principles ... of the United Nations Charter".