President Nicolas Maduro charged Saturday that tighter, "stupid" new US sanctions are just further straining to undermine military staff loyalty after Venezuela derailed a bid to oust him.
"These sanctions are a threat -- to see if they can break the morale of leaders of our armed forces ... in March, I announced that we put down an attempted coup d'etat, thanks to our brass' loyalty," Maduro said at a speech in Caracas.
The tighter US sanctions freeze assets and deny visas to Venezuelan authorities responsible for violence and political detentions triggered by the protests.
"Have you ever heard of such arrogance?" leftist firebrand Maduro asked angrily.
"As if we cared about visas to get in the United States. ... Idiots!" he roared.
On Saturday, Maduro -- the general elected to succeed late longtime President Hugo Chavez -- also suggested involvement by the US embassy in the June plot to topple him, which he said aimed to use a Venezuelan military aircraft to bomb Caracas targets.
"The coup plotters were trying to get a plane here or bring it in, with Venezuelan tags," Maduro said. "The number-one bombing target was (state and regional news channel) Telesur ... then the defense ministry and then the presidential palace."
"I can tell you, US embassy officials: one by one: I know who is plotting. And I can tell you this: if your stupid sanctions law serves any purpose, it will be to strengthen our fighters' resistence."
"These sanctions are a threat -- to see if they can break the morale of leaders of our armed forces ... in March, I announced that we put down an attempted coup d'etat, thanks to our brass' loyalty," Maduro said at a speech in Caracas.
The tighter US sanctions freeze assets and deny visas to Venezuelan authorities responsible for violence and political detentions triggered by the protests.
"Have you ever heard of such arrogance?" leftist firebrand Maduro asked angrily.
"As if we cared about visas to get in the United States. ... Idiots!" he roared.
On Saturday, Maduro -- the general elected to succeed late longtime President Hugo Chavez -- also suggested involvement by the US embassy in the June plot to topple him, which he said aimed to use a Venezuelan military aircraft to bomb Caracas targets.
"The coup plotters were trying to get a plane here or bring it in, with Venezuelan tags," Maduro said. "The number-one bombing target was (state and regional news channel) Telesur ... then the defense ministry and then the presidential palace."
"I can tell you, US embassy officials: one by one: I know who is plotting. And I can tell you this: if your stupid sanctions law serves any purpose, it will be to strengthen our fighters' resistence."
