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US outlines plan to control Venezuelan oil ‘indefinitely’ while seizing tankers in North Atlantic
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US outlines plan to control Venezuelan oil ‘indefinitely’ while seizing tankers in North Atlantic

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The Trump administration has said it will dictate decisions to Venezuela’s interim leaders and control the country’s oil sales “indefinitely” after its leader, Nicolás Maduro, was captured.
Trump’s assertion of US dominance over the oil-rich South American country comes despite interim leader Delcy Rodriguez saying there is no foreign power governing Venezuela.
In a briefing on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there would be a three-step plan for Venezuela that will start by stabilizing the country after US special forces captured Maduro and his wife in a raid this weekend.
The stabilization would be financed by the sale of millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil, he said.

Rubio said the Trump administration is close to executing a deal to take 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil and sell it “at market value,” with the proceeds used for Venezuela’s transition to a new government.

After the “stabilization” phase, there will be a process of “recovery” and “transition,” Rubio said.
During the recovery phase, Rubio said, U.S. and Western companies would have access to the Venezuelan market and “simultaneously begin to create a national reconciliation process within Venezuela,” including through the release of political prisoners.
He provided few details about the transition.
“The bottom line is that there is a process now underway where we have enormous control and influence over what those interim authorities do and can do,” Rubio said.

“But this will of course be a transition process. Ultimately, it will be up to the Venezuelan people to transform their country.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the plan for Venezuela will include a stabilization, recovery and transition phase. Source: MONKEY / AP/Kevin Wolf

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US would control Venezuela’s oil industry indefinitely.

“We are going to market the crude oil that comes from Venezuela, first this stored oil, and then indefinitely, in the future, we will sell the production that comes from Venezuela,” he said.

Seizure of two more oil tankers

Earlier in the day, the US continued to stamp its authority over Venezuela when it seized two oil tankers, including a Russia-linked ship it was pursuing from Venezuela to the North Atlantic Ocean.
The US military also announced that a second sanctioned tanker had been seized in the Caribbean Sea, bringing to four the total number of ships Washington has taken control of since last month.
The North Atlantic operation was condemned by Russia.

The State Department urged U.S. officials to allow the quick return of Russian crew members from the ship, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters they may be brought to the U.S. for prosecution.

The US said the tanker is part of a so-called shadow fleet that carries oil to Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of US sanctions, and seized it despite the ship being escorted by the Russian Navy.
The ship, formerly known as the Bella-1, had transferred its registration to Russia in recent weeks, changed its name to the Marinera and the tanker’s crew reportedly painted a Russian flag on the ship.

Leavitt said the US considered the ship stateless.

Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem posted on

Democrat criticizes ‘insane plan’

Some critics said the plan amounted to stealing oil.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut called it “an insane plan.”
“They are talking about stealing Venezuela’s oil at gunpoint for a period of time that cannot be defined as a way to micro-manage the country. The scope and madness of that plan is absolutely mind-boggling,” he told reporters.

Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group said the ship seizures fit into the “overarching theme, both in relation to Venezuela and this president’s approach to foreign policy in general, of taking the oil, in this case quite literally”.

Congressman Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, praised Maduro’s removal but said the focus on Venezuelan oil could be problematic.
“America must show that we have altruistic goals, not just a desire to grab oil supplies by supporting illegitimate leaders,” he wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times.
“Otherwise, Trump’s decision to invade Venezuela will end in failure, with consequences for the United States and the world.”

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