Venezuela has pulled the operating rights for six foreign airlines that paused flights to the South American country amid rising tensions with the United States .

But on Thursday, foreign officials and airline representatives blasted that decision as a “disproportionate” response.

A day earlier, Venezuela’s civil aviation authority announced it had revoked permits for air travel companies, including Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Colombia’s Avianca, Brazil’s GOL, Turkish Airlines and LATAM, which has headquarters in Chile and Brazil.

It accused the airlines of joining “actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States”.

The Venezuelan government has been on edge in recent months, amid speculation of a possible US military attack.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA

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