U.S. vows tough approach to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba

MIAMI» The United States imposed new sanctions Thursday on Venezuela and Cuba and promised additional penalties against Nicaragua as the Trump administration laid out a hardline policy toward countries the White House branded a “troika of tyranny.”

National security adviser John Bolton condemned what he called the “destructive forces of oppression, socialism and totalitarianism” that he said the three countries represent.

The new Venezuela sanctions target the country’s gold sector, prohibiting U.S. citizens and entities from financial involvement in the trade.

American officials have said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro illegally exported at least 21 metric tons of gold to Turkey to avoid U.S. sanctions and to try to help rescue a collapsing economy once bolstered by vast oil reserves.

The U.S. government has sanctioned dozens of top Venezuelan officials, including Maduro, as part of economic measures designed at pressuring the South American country’s return to democracy.

Bolton blamed Cuba for enabling Maduro’s government and he urged the nations of the region to “let the Cuban regime know that it will be held responsible for continued oppression in Venezuela.”

Bolton also sent a strong warning to President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, where more than 300 people have been killed since protests erupted in April calling for Ortega’s resignation.

“Free, fair, and early elections must be held in Nicaragua, and democracy must be restored to the Nicaraguan people,” he said.