Press TV - Venezuela�s envoy to the United Nations says the United States is preparing for a �military invasion� of his country, amid Washington�s recent move to impose sanctions on the state-owned oil firm PDVSA in its harshest financial challenge yet to President Nicolas Maduro.

Jorge Valero, Venezuela�s permanent ambassador to the UN, made the comment at a the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in New York on Tuesday, questioning whether US President Donald Trump�s administration had the moral authority to �impose a diktat� on Caracas.

Valero�s remarks were in direct response to the US deputy ambassador to the UN, Cynthia Plath, who said minutes earlier that Washington was �committed to holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela�s tragic decline.�

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday revealed in an interview with the HBO that Trump had asked about his opinion about �using military force� in Venezuela against Maduro.

The South Carolina Senator added that he had urged Trump to be cautious since the military intervention in the South American country �could be problematic.�

There have been growing tensions in the wake of a move by Washington to lead the charge to recognize opposition figure Juan Guaido as Venezuela�s president over the incumbent Maduro and calling on other countries to follow suit.

Thirty five-year-old Guaido, an unknown figure until recently, proclaimed himself �interim president� of Venezuela on January 23. Minutes after the bizarre move, Trump recognized him as the leader of the country.

Britain, Germany, France, and Spain have already given an eight-day ultimatum to Caracas that they would also recognize Guaido as president if Maduro failed to call a new election within the given period. On Saturday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza lambasted that ultimatum as �childlike,� the same day US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the world to support Guaido and reject �Maduro and his mayhem.�

Other countries, including Russia, Turkey, China, and Iran, have expressed support for the elected government in Venezuela and condemned outside interference in the country.