US President Donald Trump wants to turn Venezuela into a "colony" of the US, the Attorney General of Venezuela has told BBC's Newshour.
Tarek William Saab said on Sunday that calls for a regime change in Venezuela were a front to seize his country's natural resources, including reserves of gold, oil and copper.
A close ally of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, Saab said there was "no doubt" the US was trying to overthrow the Venezuelan government, adding that it was the latest in a long line of "failed" operations.
The US is among many nations that do not recognise Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader, after the last election in 2024 was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair.
Trump has also repeatedly raised the possibility of what he called "land action" in Venezuela, and said last week that the US is "looking at land now" after getting "the sea very well under control".
