US preparing to add Venezuela to terrorism sponsors list: Report
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The Post said the US State Department had been asking for feedback on the proposed move from various agencies in recent days, but it said US officials declined to say whether a final decision had been made about the designation.
The Trump administration is preparing to add Venezuela to a US list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that would escalate Washington's diplomatic struggle with the government of President Nicolas Maduro, The Washington Post said on Monday.
The Post said the US State Department had been asking for feedback on the proposed move from various agencies in recent days, but it said US officials declined to say whether a final decision had been made about the designation.
Earlier, Maduro accused the Trump administration of seeking to assassinate him, as relations strain between the ideologically opposed nations. Asked about the remarks, the White House did not immediately provide a comment.
Almost 2 million Venezuelans have fled the ailing oil-rich nation since 2015, driven out by brutal food and medicine shortages, hyperinflation, and violent crime. Washington has imposed sanctions on Venezuela, denouncing Maduro as a dictator who has quashed human rights and triggered an economic meltdown.
(With inputs from Reuters)