Venezuela's petroleum export price has plunged by half during the second half of 2014 to $48, President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday in denouncing a U.S.-led "war" against Russia and his nation in the global oil market

The South American OPEC nation's crude trades at a discount to the U.S. and Brent benchmarks because of its higher content of heavy oil.

Average monthly prices for oil, a product that accounts for 96 percent of Venezuela's hard currency revenue, have dropped steadily since July, when it was at $96.14 per barrel.

Venezuela enjoyed average prices of $103.42 per barrel in 2012 and $98.08 in 2013.

Giving the latest figure for Monday, Maduro repeated his socialist government's accusations that the plunge in oil was a U.S.-planned conspiracy primarily intended to harm Russia.