Venezuela bars self-declared president Guaido from leaving country
Caracas, Jan 30 : Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice barred self-declared president Juan Guaido from leaving the country and froze his bank accounts Tuesday, as leader Nicolas Maduro seeks to neutralize the American-backed opposition chief.
The 35-year-old head of the National Assembly legislature "is prohibited from leaving the country until the end of the (preliminary) investigation" for having "caused harm to peace in the republic," high court president Maikel Moreno said.
The court is stacked with Maduro loyalists.
The move came after the State Department revealed that Guaido -- the National Assembly head and self-proclaimed interim president -- has been handed control of Venezuela's US bank accounts.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on the order last week, which was then followed on Monday by US sanctions targeting Venezuela's state oil giant PDVSA, the cash-strapped government's main source of hard currency.
"This certification will help Venezuela's legitimate government safeguard those assets for the benefit of the Venezuelan people," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement.
Guaido shrugged off Maduro's efforts to choke his progress as "nothing new."
"I'm not dismissing the threats, the persecution at this time, but we're here, we're continuing to do our jobs," he told reporters as he arrived at the National Assembly.
Guaido, who has been recognized as interim president by US President Donald Trump, sent a message to the country's top court on Twitter warning that "the regime is in its final stage."
"You shouldn't sacrifice yourselves for the usurper and his gang," he added.
In Washington, Trump's national security advisor warned of "serious consequences" if any harm comes to the Venezuelan opposition leader.
"Let me reiterate -- there will be serious consequences for those who attempt to subvert democracy and harm Guaido," Trump advisor John Bolton tweeted.
The opposition-controlled legislature, meanwhile, named "diplomatic representatives" to a dozen countries that, like the US, have recognized Guaido as the interim president.
At the White House, US Vice President Mike Pence met with Guaido's appointed charge d'affaires in the United States, Carlos Vecchio, to discuss the crisis.
The 35-year-old engineer stormed onto the political stage as a virtual unknown on January 3, when he was sworn in as the president of the National Assembly, a body that had been largely neutralized by the Supreme Court.
On January 23, he declared himself the country's acting president and vowed to lead a transitional government that would hold democratic elections.
To keep up the pressure, he has called two more mass demonstrations against the government this week, and has appealed to the powerful military to change sides, offering amnesty to those who do.
At least 40 people have been killed in clashes with security forces nationwide and at least 850 arrested since January 21 when a brief military rebellion was put down in Caracas, according to the UN human rights office in Geneva.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions against PDVSA would prevent Maduro from diverting resources from the country until power could be transferred to an interim or democratically-elected government.
A furious Maduro, 56, said Trump would have "blood all over his hands" if violence breaks out in Venezuela.
In a tweet, he urged the opposition to "ignore the imperialist calls" and reiterated his offer of dialogue to Guaido. He has previously accused the US of trying to orchestrate a coup d'etat.
Gustavo Tarre, Venezuela's new pro-Guaido representative to the Organization of American States, rejected the coup accusation and cast doubt on the staying power of Maduro's regime, saying no one would defend him to the death.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the new sanctions "violate all possible international norms" and said the US has "publicly taken a course toward illegal regime change."
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said his country opposes "unilateral sanctions" as they "will only complicate the situation and will not help solve practical problems."
The oil-rich country is already reeling from a deep economic crisis that has pushed millions into poverty and driven 2.3 million more to migrate.
Hyperinflation, shortages of food and medicine and failing public services has spread misery, undermining support for a leftist regime that has held power for two decades.
Trump's national security advisor Bolton called Monday for Venezuela's security forces "to accept the peaceful, democratic and constitutional transfer of power."
He also reiterated Trump's position that "all options are on the table." Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan did not rule out a US military deployment to Colombia.
But the Lima Group of Latin American countries and Canada is opposed to "military intervention" in the Venezuela, Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio said.
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Hormuz Blockade: Why Your World Stalls
Three weeks ago, the third Gulf War started. And since that day, ordinary life for millions of people around the world — including us — has quietly started getting more expensive and more difficult. Let us understand why.
Everything begins with a tiny 54-kilometre-wide waterway called the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran. Think of it like a narrow gate between two rooms. Almost all the oil, gas, and goods from the Gulf countries pass through this one gate to reach the rest of the world. Now that gate is blocked. And the world is beginning to choke.
The Fuel Problem
On 16th March, the price of crude oil crossed $106 per barrel — the highest since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022. Even Donald Trump released America's emergency oil reserves — the largest ever release — but traders are still not convinced the strait will reopen soon. About 10 to 15 percent of the world's oil supply is stuck.
Asian countries like India, China, Japan and Thailand are already cutting oil refinery production by 5 to 15 percent because the Gulf crude they are designed to process is simply not coming. The little oil that does arrive is the wrong type for their machines. Less production means less petrol, less diesel, less jet fuel — and higher prices at the pump for everyone.
Here is a scary number — if the blockade continues, countries in Africa may run out of jet fuel in just 23 days, Oceania in 36 days, and most of Asia in about 12 days. Some poorer nations have already started closing schools and cutting working days just to save fuel.
The Factory Problem
The Gulf is not just about oil. It supplies 24 percent of the world's aluminium — used in everything from milk packets to electric wires. The price of aluminium has jumped by ₹25,000 per tonne in just weeks. The Gulf also supplies nearly half the world's urea (fertiliser), a large portion of the plastics used in packaging, and critical chemicals used in making medicines — including the raw materials for aspirin and antibiotics.
India, being the world's largest maker of generic medicines, is directly affected. If these chemical raw materials stop arriving, medicine production slows down. Plastic companies in Asia have already declared "force majeure" — a legal term meaning "sorry, we simply cannot fulfil our contracts because the situation is beyond our control."
And then there is helium. Most people think helium is just for balloons. But it is actually used to cool the powerful magnets inside machines that make semiconductor chips — the tiny chips inside every phone, laptop, and car. Qatar used to supply one-third of the world's helium. That supply has now stopped. There is no easy backup.
The Food Problem
This is perhaps the most serious part. One-third of the world's fertiliser trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Countries like Kenya, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Tanzania get more than one-fourth of their fertiliser from the Gulf. Sudan gets more than half.
The price of urea has already jumped 35 percent since the war began. Sulphur, another crop nutrient, has risen 40 percent. The head of Yara, one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies, has warned this could be "catastrophic" for global food supply. In America, the agriculture minister has called it a "national security issue."
For farmers, the choice is brutal — pay double for fertiliser, use less and grow less, or wait and miss the planting season entirely. If fertiliser arrives late, it cannot help the 2026 harvest. Food that is not grown this season cannot be grown back next month.
What This Means For Us
We may not live near the Gulf. We may never have heard of the Strait of Hormuz before. But we will feel this — in rising petrol prices, costlier groceries, expensive medicines, and delayed goods. Even if the strait reopens tomorrow, experts say things will not return to normal quickly. Damaged refineries, broken factories, and cautious shipping companies will take months to restart.
This crisis is also a loud warning for every country — including India — to seriously rethink how deeply we depend on one single region for so many essential goods. True security means building alternative suppliers, stronger reserves, and smarter trade routes before the next crisis hits.
One small passage. One war. And slowly, the whole world is beginning to feel the heat.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
