By — Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-u-s-has-entered-deal-with-venezuela-to-control-65-billion-barrels-of-its-oil-reserves Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump says U.S. has entered deal with Venezuela to control 65 billion barrels of its oil reserves Politics Aug 28, 2026 7:35 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. has entered an agreement with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of the South American country's oil reserves. Trump in a social media post announced the agreement he said was negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez. WATCH: Trump says Venezuela is 'not ready yet' for elections after U.S. ouster of Maduro "The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!" Trump wrote. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. The announcement of the deal comes nearly nine months after the U.S. military at Trump's direction carried out an operation to capture Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro and spirit him to the United States to face federal narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges. Trump faces mounting pressure to address high gas prices as the war in Iran reaches a six-month milestone with no conclusion in sight. The U.S. has tapped its strategic petroleum reserves, which in early August fell below 300 million barrels, down by more than 100 million barrels since the start of 2026. In the days following Maduro's ouster in January, Trump floated the idea of U.S. oil companies returning to Venezuela to tap its oil reserves. Trump has argued that Venezuela stole U.S. oil when former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's moved decades ago to nationalize hundreds of foreign-owned assets, including those owned by American oil companies. Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 303 billion barrels of crude oil in the ground. That's about 17% of the world's supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Unlike other parts of the world, where geologists have to search for untapped oil, the reserves under Venezuela's soil are largely mapped and known, experts say. But because of dilapidated infrastructure, the country only produces about 1% of the world's oil. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Aamer Madhani, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. has entered an agreement with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of the South American country's oil reserves. Trump in a social media post announced the agreement he said was negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez. WATCH: Trump says Venezuela is 'not ready yet' for elections after U.S. ouster of Maduro "The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!" Trump wrote. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. The announcement of the deal comes nearly nine months after the U.S. military at Trump's direction carried out an operation to capture Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro and spirit him to the United States to face federal narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges. Trump faces mounting pressure to address high gas prices as the war in Iran reaches a six-month milestone with no conclusion in sight. The U.S. has tapped its strategic petroleum reserves, which in early August fell below 300 million barrels, down by more than 100 million barrels since the start of 2026. In the days following Maduro's ouster in January, Trump floated the idea of U.S. oil companies returning to Venezuela to tap its oil reserves. Trump has argued that Venezuela stole U.S. oil when former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's moved decades ago to nationalize hundreds of foreign-owned assets, including those owned by American oil companies. Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 303 billion barrels of crude oil in the ground. That's about 17% of the world's supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Unlike other parts of the world, where geologists have to search for untapped oil, the reserves under Venezuela's soil are largely mapped and known, experts say. But because of dilapidated infrastructure, the country only produces about 1% of the world's oil. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now