U.S. sanctions Venezuela's gold exports
President Donald Trump signed an executive order levying sanctions
against Venezuela's gold exports, national security adviser John Bolton
announced Thursday.
The president signed the order Wednesday, targeting those who have engaged in deceptive or corrupt gold sales in Venezuela.
Bolton announced the sanctions during a speech on the administration's policy in Latin America at the Freedom Tower in Miami.
"The Maduro regime has used this sector as a bastion to finance illicit
activities, to fill its coffers, and to support criminal groups," Bolton
said.
Bolton also announced plans to sanction Cuba and Nicaragua, which, together with Venezuela, he dubbed the "Troika of Tyranny."
"This triangle of terror stretching from Havana to Caracas to Managua is
the cause of immense human suffering, the impetus of enormous regional
instability, and the genesis of a sordid cradle of communism in the
Western Hemisphere," he said. "Under President Trump, the United States
is taking direct action against all three regimes to defend the rule of
law, liberty, and basic human decency in our region."
Last week, a U.S. Treasury official said the United States should
publicize Turkey's involvement in the Venezuela gold industry. Marshall
Billingslea, assistant secretary for terrorist financing at Treasury,
said the Turkish government skirted international sanctions by
purchasing tons of Venezuelan gold in recent months.
U.S. officials have spoken in the past of the possibility of Venezuelan
gold making its way to Iran through Turkey in violation of international
sanctions.
Suzanne Maloney, deputy director of foreign policy at Brookings, said if
the Turkish government was illegally involved in the Venezuelan gold
industry, it would pose a threat to the legitimacy of international
sanctions. Maloney added the shipping of gold to Iran by the Turkish
government has helped Iran evade sanctions in the past.
Lucas Robinson of Medill News Service contributed to this report.
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