The United States may impose sanctions on Venezuelan oil sector, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during his visit to Argentina.
The move is aimed to make Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro abide by his own country’s constitution. Washington considers restrictions on both Venezuela's exports and US shipments of refined petroleum products to the country.
The US has already imposed sanctions on several Venezuelan officials, including Maduro. However, sanctions on the energy sector could harm US companies and lead to job cuts in the United States. Venezuela is the US biggest importer of crude oil, although recently the volumes have been declining. The country is also the key market for US refineries.