Overview
- President Trump told the New York Times the United States expects to oversee Venezuela for longer than a year and to use oil revenues to rebuild the country while lowering prices.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the U.S. will market Venezuelan crude starting with stored volumes and then sell future production indefinitely, with proceeds routed through U.S.-controlled accounts.
- Trump announced a near-term plan to take and sell 30–50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, saying proceeds would buy only U.S.-made goods, while PDVSA said it is negotiating and no finalized deal has been confirmed.
- U.S. authorities have seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuelan exports, including a Russian-associated vessel, as part of efforts to control outbound crude flows.
- Congressional and international scrutiny is intensifying, with a Senate war-powers push, Democratic criticism of the plan, and Caracas alleging at least 100 deaths in the U.S. operation, a claim the U.S. has not corroborated.