US says it wants to control Venezuelan oil indefinitely. Can it?

Al JazeeraCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by Andy HirschfeldJanuary 9, 2026 at 12:06 AM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

In January 2026, the US government, under President Donald Trump, declared its intention to control Venezuelan oil sales indefinitely to force political changes in Venezuela. This announcement followed the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and a deal for Venezuela to turn over a significant amount of sanctioned oil to the US. Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated the US needs leverage over Venezuelan oil. Oil company executives are scheduled to meet with President Trump to discuss potential investments in Venezuela. While experts suggest the US government has the power to intervene, geopolitical challenges exist, particularly with the rise of China as a global power, potentially limiting US influence compared to previous interventions like in Iraq.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Krimmel Strategy Group 50% ConocoPhillips 60% Chevron 60% Iraq ×260% Jeff Krimmel 60% ExxonMobil 60% China 70% Chris Wright 70% Nicolás Maduro (Maduro) 80% Donald Trump ×390% Venezuela ×795% United States ×895%

Keywords

venezuelan oil 100% us control 90% oil sales 80% investments in venezuela 70% economic uncertainties 60% geopolitical uncertainties 60% oil companies 50% military action 40% energy consulting 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

United States

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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venezuelan oil us control oil sales investments in venezuela economic uncertainties geopolitical uncertainties oil companies military action energy consulting

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