Overview
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed Congress on a stabilization–recovery–transition roadmap that he said was presented in detail to lawmakers.
- Rubio said the U.S. will take 30–50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and sell it at market prices, with proceeds distributed under U.S. control to benefit Venezuelans.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright outlined a mechanism in which Washington conducts the sales and holds revenues in U.S.-supervised accounts, potentially returning funds conditioned on political changes.
- U.S. authorities reported new maritime actions, including two additional tanker seizures tied to Venezuelan oil—one Russian-linked and one Cameroon-flagged—and control of a vessel in the Caribbean.
- President Donald Trump named a transition coordination team that includes Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, adviser Stephen Miller, and Vice President JD Vance, as the White House said it will direct decisions by interim authorities and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem praised the tanker confiscations.