Sanctions coming home to roost? Not likely, but an important trial might be unfolding in a US court. Without overestimating the amount of “justice” that US courts actually deliver, the case may expose just how far-reaching US sanctions are (thread)
reuters.com/legal/transact…
In a nutshell, this is the story: Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA issued a promissory note pledging to pay Dresser-Rand (Houston-based Siemens subsidiary, oilfield equipment provider) some $120M. It paid the first 2 installments and then couldn’t go on because of US sanctions Image
In 2020 a judge ruled in favor of Dresser-Rand and ordered PDVSA to pay some $150M (120 + interest). Only the Venezuelan company actually tried to continue making payments and was blocked as a result of sanctions, and thus claims it is no longer liable for the debt Image
Dresser-Rand claims there were payment alternatives but is allegedly refusing to hand over communications with the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control which (according to PDVSA) would show that fulfilling obligations was indeed impossible Image
So we’ll be paying attention to this trial and ruling, since it may demonstrate the huge (criminal) scope of US sanctions, beyond what corporate outlets repeatedly and dishonestly portray as measures only affecting high-ranking officials and unrelated to Vzla's economic crisis Image
Speaking of dishonesty, no one does it better than Reuters. Here it says sanctions were meant to "press Maduro to restore democracy". Because these stenographers just take the State Dept's word that democracy needs "restoring". "Democracy" stands for "subservience" to empire Image
Then we read about sanctions' "far-reaching unintended consequences". Unintended? Really? When US officials are on the record saying they want to strangle the Venezuelan economy by stopping any and all companies from dealing with the govt or state companies? Image
Finally Reuters says companies decline to engage in US-approved transactions (gotta ask permission from the almighty empire!) out of an "abundance of caution". Given that there have been secondary sanctions and threats to all kinds of companies, that "caution" is the purpose Image
To get a grasp on the US-blockade against Venezuela, check out this neat infographic:
venezuelanalysis.com/images/15295
And this one on the raft of measures against the oil industry:
venezuelanalysis.com/images/15301
#SanctionsKill Image
For news and analysis beyond the corporate media propaganda and regime-change cheerleading, follow VA on your favorite social network. And to support our work, visit:
venezuelanalysis.com/donate or
patreon.com/venanalysis Image

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More from @venanalysis

24 Sep
Don't take our word for it. Here's a Citi executive saying the bank blocked a PDVSA payment to a creditor. He was testifying in a court case that might demonstrate how far-reaching US sanctions are. But it's the US justice system, so don't hold your breath
reuters.com/world/americas…
Of course, right at hand was an "expert witness" to say that PDVSA could have just used another bank. Sure... The US threatened an asphalt company from Thailand against dealing w/ PDVSA, but a US bank would have done it, no questions asked. Surely Citi were being paranoid... Image
Of course @Reuters can't avoid its "Maduro says" trick. Copying and pasting is no excuse for dishonesty. Even US representatives and the freaking US Chamber of Commerce attest to the sanctions' economic damage. But corporate media will ride the imperialist train into the sunset Image
Read 4 tweets
23 Sep
[Thread] The "interim president" and the corporations

Self-proclaimed @jguaido, this worthless US puppet, has found himself in some hot water over the handling of Venezuelan assets that fell in his lap. We'll have a detailed report soon, but in the meantime here's the gist of it Image
This week, a document from a Delaware court said that the Guaidó "administration" had reached an agreement to pay oil giant ConocoPhillips $1.3 billion. The fact that this was not disclosed nor approved by his (make-believe, expired) parliament drew criticism on social media Image
The background is that ConocoPhillips was awarded $2B by an intl arbitration court, the Vzlan govt reached a settlement but couldn't deliver because of sanctions, so CP moved to seize Citgo shares (US-based oil subsidiary). And it's not the only one after Citgo (more below) Image
Read 15 tweets
22 Sep
Praise the almighty overlords for their generosity! The US will give $336 million in aid to Vzlans.This brings total assistance since 2017 to $1.9B. Bless those imperial hearts! Well, not really. Let's play a game called "putting numbers in perspective" 🧵
reuters.com/world/americas…
Since 2017 precisely, Washington has imposed a slew of measures against virtually all Vzlan economic sectors. The most significant one (arguably) was the 2019 oil embargo. This alone causes $30M in losses... per day! So this aid "gift" covers 11 days of losses due to this embargo Image
$1.9B might also seem like a lot (it is), but consider:
- oil industry losses are estimated as high as $30B a year
- seized Citgo is valued at $7B
- stolen gold in the UK and frozen bank accounts total around $8B Image
Read 5 tweets
13 Sep
(Thread) The Bondholders & the Buffoon

The US will ride this spectacular trainwreck of nonsense known as the @jguaido pretend presidency into the sunset. Though Biden has allegedly put an expiration date on this circus, US officials will try and stave off the inevitable disaster
The latest development has been yet another extension of a Treasury license banning any transactions with the PDVSA 2020 bond until January 2022. There have been similar ones banning corporations from seizing Vzlan assets without special permission

sputniknews.com/20210910/us-tr…
This is a story w/ equal parts sanctions and opposition tomfoolery. Why are these Treasury licenses relevant? In a word: Citgo (Vzlan US-based oil subsidiary). The PDVSA 2020 bond has defaulted and Citgo shares were pledged as collateral. So bondholders want to seize Citgo shares
Read 16 tweets
12 Sep
🇻🇪 Have you read our latest interview?

Venezuelan writer Luis Britto García sheds light on the country's participative democracy and current political battles: venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/15314

Also, here are some links to stories we covered this week. THREAD 👇
Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami denounced Colombia’s move to takeover agrochemical producer ​Monómeros as a “flagrant theft of a Venezuelan asset.”

Monómeros, frozen and handed to Guaidó in 2019, is a gov't priority in ongoing talks with the opposition. venezuelanalysis.com/news/15316
“We’ve done it again in Mexico,” said @jorgerpsuv, head of the gov’t delegation, after signing two agreements with the US-backed opposition.

The parties would look to secure access to the IMF's Special Drawing Rights to "increase social coverage." venezuelanalysis.com/news/15310
Read 8 tweets
11 Sep
One thing we really don't get is how bigwigs and pundits think (or pretend) the US being despised all over the world is some kind of misunderstanding. Or a product of "misinformation campaigns." Case in point is Washington's stance regarding Venezuela's ongoing dialogue (thread)
Ladies and gentlemen, here's fake ambassador to Vzla James "Jimmy" Story (he has an office in Colombia) saying the US and its puppets are considering *new sanctions* if they don't like how the negotiation process is going. Yes, this is not a joke #SanctionsKill
Story funnily talks about the "interim president" when not even the opposition delegation uses this ridiculous term anymore. Also, the EU and Canada have nothing to be proud about in their history, but even for their standards it's a bit too low to be lapdogs to these shenanigans
Read 9 tweets

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