Venezuela threatens to interrupt US oil supply

Venezuela’s foreign minister warned late Tuesday that it could no longer guarantee regular oil shipments to the United States after Washington placed sanctions on the Venezuelan state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), this week.

The spat underscores long-running tensions over what Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sees as America’s disproportionate, unjust exercise of power on the world stage.

“There are several proposals that are being evaluated by President [Hugo] Chavez to respond to the United States’ imperialist pretensions,” said Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, according to the Miami Herald.

A close associate of Chavez accused the U.S. of trying to be “the world’s policeman as it steps on the sovereignty of the people.”