US President Barack Obama has ordered a fresh wave of sanctions against senior Venezuelan officials involved on opposition crackdown and the prosecution of Caracas's mayor.
Obama on Monday ordered visa bans and assets freezes on seven officials, including the director general of the intelligence service and the director of the national police.
He also targeted Katherine Nayarith Haringhton Padron the prosecutor who charged the Mayor of Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma over an alleged coup plot.
"We are deeply concerned by the Venezuelan government's efforts to escalate intimidation of its political opponents," the White House said, unveiling the executive order.
The move is certain to worsen already fraught US-Venezuela ties.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Two years after the death of leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, his hand-picked successor, President Nicolas Maduro has ramped up anti-US rhetoric as the economy has worsened.
His government recently ordered the number of officials at the American embassy be reduced from 100 to 17 by March 17 and began requiring visas for US travellers.
Most of those targeted for US sanctions on Monday were accused of being involved with a 2014 crackdown on opposition protests that left more than 40 dead.
The White House on Monday described the charges against Caracas Mayor Ledezma, a important opposition figure, as "based on implausible - and in some cases fabricated - information".
