Venezuela rejects US oil sanctions as 'blackmail'

Venezuela on Tuesday slammed Washington's decision to reimpose oil and gas sanctions as "rude and improper blackmail", and threatened to halt deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants who are in the United States illegally.

"All of Venezuela rejects the rude and improper blackmail and ultimatum expressed by the US government," Vice President Delcy Rodriguez wrote on X.

"If they take the wrong step of intensifying the economic aggression against Venezuela... as of February 13 repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants would be immediately cancelled."

The United States began repatriating Venezuelan migrants on chartered flights in October, after a deal was struck between Maduro and President Joe Biden for the "orderly, safe and legal repatriation" of undocumented Venezuelan migrants.

Rodriguez also said that all other areas of cooperation would be reviewed as a countermeasure to the "deliberate attempt to strike a blow to the Venezuelan oil and gas industry."

The United States earlier warned it would reimpose sanctions that had been relaxed under a reconciliation deal, after opponents to President Nicolas Maduro were barred from running against him.

Venezuela's Supreme Court, loyal to Maduro, on Friday upheld a 15-year ban on holding public office against the president's main opponent in elections due this year, Maria Corina Machado.

The court also confirmed the ineligibility of a possible opposition stand-in -- two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.