New US sanctions against Venezuela stand as the "worst aggression" against the country's people, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said Friday, accusing Washington of trying to stoke a humanitarian crisis in the oil-rich, cash-poor nation.

"We don't understand it," Arreaza said after talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, vowing that the government of President Nicolas Maduro would defend itself.

On Friday, the White House unveiled tough new financial sanctions against Caracas, banning the trade in new bonds issued by the government and its cash-cow state-run oil company PDVSA.

source: Alarabiya