The U.S. on Thursday warned Venezuela’s rulers of consequences if opposition leader Juan Guaido is not allowed to return safely from a visit to Washington, where he enjoyed pledges of robust support.
In one sign that some saw as retaliation, authorities threw into jail six oil executives with joint U.S. and Venezuelan nationality, two months after allowing them to shift to house arrest.
Elliott Abrams, the U.S. envoy leading the drive to oust leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, warned that the U.S. was “prepared” with unspecified actions if Mr. Guaido faces trouble.
“We hope that the regime makes the calculation, particularly after this trip, that the support for Guaido is strong and that the counter-reaction to any move against him would make it a mistake for the regime,” Mr. Abrams told reporters.
