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The United States Monday declared Venezuela a national security threat and ordered sanctions against seven officials in the worst diplomatic dispute with the oil-rich country since socialist President Nicolas Maduro took office in 2013, The Daily Star reported citing news agencies.

Venezuela responded angrily, recalling its envoy to Washington, Charge d’Affairs Maximilien Arvelaiz, for “consultations.”

Regional allies came to Venezuela’s defense.

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino warned that the South American bloc UNASUR would not allow “foreign intervention” or a coup in Venezuela.

President Barack Obama issued and signed the executive order, which senior administration officials said did not target the energy sector or Venezuela’s broader economy. The move raises tensions between Washington and the OPEC member just as U.S. relations with Cuba, another longtime U.S. foe in Latin America, are set to be normalized.

The measures implement and extend sanctions adopted by the U.S. Congress last year that the president himself enacted in December.

Declaring a country a national security threat is the first step in starting a sanctions regime. The same process has been followed with countries such as Iran and Syria, U.S. officials said.