Venezuela calls Trump's warning 'crazy act'

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has described United States President Donald Trump's warning of a possible military action as a "crazy act" by an "extremist elite."

"As Minister of Defense and as a citizen I say this is a crazy act, an act of supreme extremism," CNN quoted Padrino as saying.

"There is an extremist elite in the US government," he added, "and I really don't know what is happening and what will happen in the world. If humanity will end. If planet Earth will end."

The president of Venezuela's new Constituent Assembly, the controversial body elected to rewrite the Venezuelan Constitution amid the country's political crisis -- fired off a series of tweets late Friday slamming Trump's remarks as "cowardly, insolent and vile threats," CNN reported.

 

Assembly president and former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez added, "Insults and aggression" against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would be rejected by the "anti-imperialist people of Venezuela."

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he would not rule out the possibility of a military intervention in Venezuela.

"We have many options for Venezuela. And by the way, I am not going to rule out a military option," Trump said following a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at his New Jersey golf club.

The Trump administration has slapped sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after a July 30 vote that allowed the President to replace the opposition-held National Assembly with a new 545-member Constituent Assembly filled with his supporters.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Saturday said that Trump's comments threatened peace and stability in his country.

"The daring threats of President Donald Trump intend to drag Latin America and the Caribbean into a conflict that would permanently alter the stability, peace and security of our region," Arreaza said at a press conference.

"This is our neighbour," he added. "You know, we are all over the world and we have troops all over the world in places that are very, very far away. Venezuela is not very far away and the people are suffering, and they are dying. We have many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option if necessary," Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said.