While an official in Caracas said sanctions are an act of war, a top U.S official said the measures will have no direct impact on oil revenue for Venezuela. President Barack Obama issued an executive order Monday that sanctions seven Venezuelan officials for human rights offenses. A White House spokesman said the Obama administration is “deeply concerned” by the culture of political intimidation in Caracas. “Venezuela’s problems cannot be solved by criminalizing dissent,” the spokesman said. President Nicolas Maduro has faced mounting pressure from his opponents at least since taking the reins in Caracas after his predecessor Hugo Chavez died in 2013. María Corina Machado, a former assemblywoman who helped lead protests against Maduro last year, recently called on Pope Francis to step in to a fracturing Venezuela. […]