The United States has announced its intention to maintain control over Venezuela’s oil industry “indefinitely” without specifying a timeline for its management of the country. Energy secretary Chris Wright revealed that the US plans to oversee the sale of Venezuela’s oil production for the foreseeable future.
During a Goldman Sachs energy conference near Miami, Mr. Wright stated that the US will continue to sell Venezuela’s oil output in the global market. This declaration followed President Donald Trump’s statement that Venezuela would deliver tens of millions of barrels of oil to the United States. The White House is coordinating a meeting with US oil company executives to discuss Venezuela’s oil industry, which the Trump administration is urging to open up to American investment.
Reports from Caracas indicated that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in a night-time US military operation aimed at capturing President Nicolás Maduro and transferring him to face drug charges in the United States. In response to pressure from President Trump, Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, has resisted demands to align the country with US interests, including granting access to American energy firms.
Simultaneously, the US intercepted a Venezuela-associated oil tanker in British waters, named Marinera (previously known as Bella-1). The vessel purportedly evaded Trump’s naval blockade of Venezuela established in December. American law enforcement officials boarded the ship without encountering any gunfire. The US European Command confirmed the tanker’s seizure in the North Atlantic under a warrant issued by a US federal court, aligning with Trump’s Proclamation targeting vessels that jeopardize Western Hemisphere security and stability.
Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, emphasized on a social media platform the continued enforcement of the blockade against sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil worldwide.