VENEZUELA’S Washington-backed opposition made a grab for control of state-owned oil company PDVSA on Wednesday as the defunct and illegitimate National Assembly named a new board of directors.

In a bid to steal Venezuela’s oil revenue to fund the US-led coup attempt to remove democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro from power, Luisa Palacios, Angel Olmeta, Edgar Rincon, Luis Urdaneta, Andres Padilla and Rick Esser were nominated as temporary directors of the firm.

All are based in the US and are accused wanting to take control of Venezuela’s vast proven oil reserves — the world’s largest at nearly 300 billion barrels.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton has admitted that Washington wants to open Venezuela’s state-owned oil supply to the private sector, with discussions having already taken place with US companies.

Mr Maduro said he refused to allow PDVSA and Citgo to be “stolen” and the attempted move will be resisted, with legal challenges expected to block the appointments.

Unelected president of the National Assembly Juan Guaido, who illegally declared himself interim president of Venezuela hours after Mr Maduro’s inauguration last month, said: “We have taken a step forward with the reconstruction of PDVSA. With this decision, we are not only protecting our assets, we also avoid continued destruction.”

However, Mr Maduro issued a stark warning to both the US and Mr Guaido over their actions.

“This person, who believes that politics is a game and he can violate the constitution and the law, sooner or later will have to answer before the courts.

“If the American empire dares to touch even one palm leaf in our territory, this will turn into a new Vietnam,” he said.

A heated exchange in a US House foreign affairs committee hearing heard Democratic representative Ilhan Omar challenge US President Donald Trump’s Venezuela envoy Elliot Abrams over plans for regime change.

Mr Abrams was pardoned by former president George HW Bush after being found guilty of deliberately withholding information relating to the Iran-Contra affair.

He continues to insist that US intervention in El Salvador, where thousands were massacred by death squads, was a “fabulous achievement.”

Ms Omar asked: “Yes or no, would you support an armed faction within Venezuela that engages in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide if you believed they were serving US interests, as you did in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala?”

Mr Abrams refused to answer, dismissing her questions as personal attacks.