President Hugo Chavez has thrown out the US ambassador to Venezuela and threatened to cut off American oil supplies, further escalating tensions with Washington just two days after Russia sent strategic bombers to Caracas in a move unseen since the Cold War.

The leftist South American leader, ever a vocal opponent of what he has called America's “evil empire”, said he was expelling Patrick Duddy “in solidarity” with Bolivia’s Evo Morales, who threw out Washington’s ambassador to La Paz on Wednesday.

“Starting at this moment the Yankee ambassador in Caracas has 72 hours to leave Venezuela,” Mr Chavez said at a public event in the port city of Puerto Cabello, 120km (75 miles) west of Caracas.

The US responded in kind, immediately booting out the Venezuelan envoy despite a pre-emptive order from Caracas to fly out before Washington could have the satisfaction of ejecting him, and imposing sanctions on aides to Mr Chavez.

Mr Chavez also threatened to cut halt exports of crude oil to the United States if it displayed any aggression towards Venezuela. Despite years of tensions between the two countries Venezuela continues to be one of the United States’ main overseas oil suppliers.

“If there is any aggression towards Venezuela” from Washington, “there would be no oil for the people of the United States,” Mr Chavez said last night. “Go to hell, Yankees!” he thundered in an invective-laced speech against the US government.

The move caps a week of brinkmanship reminiscent of the Cold War era. On Wednesday, two Tupolev Tu-160 bombers arrived in Venezuela from Russia to carry out military manoeuvres, amid an ongoing standoff over the recent conflict in Georgia.

Just days before, Caracas and Moscow had announced plans for joint war games in the Caribbean involving a nuclear cruiser.

Though both countries denied that the exercises were related to the Georgia conflict, military analysts said Russia’s provocative foray into what has traditionally been America’s backyard was in response to the presence of US warships in the Black Sea.

The United States has been delivering aid to its ally Georgia as well as taking part in NATO war games in the Black Sea which the Kremlin has denounced as a Western military build-up on its doorstep.

Mr Chavez also announced yesterday that his government had uncovered a coup plot hatched by active and retired military officers, which he said had tacit US approval.

A military prosecutor said two officers - retired general Wilfredo Barroso and retired major Elimides Labarca Soto - will be tried for incitement to rebellion, a charge punishable by five to 10 years in prison.

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