AdvertisementThe blockade was part of rising U.S. pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that culminated in U.S. forces capturing him this weekend. Venezuela will be “turning over” between 30 and 50 million barrels of “sanctioned oil” to the U.S., Trump said in a social media post. The Asian country has been Venezuela’s top buyer in the last decade and especially since the United States imposed sanctions on companies involved in oil trade with Venezuela in 2020. AdvertisementThe U.S. and Venezuela have also discussed if Venezuelan oil can be used in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the future, one of the sources said. Without a way to export oil soon, it would have to cut production more, one of the sources said.

Source: Huffington Post January 07, 2026 09:55 UTC