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Latin Times
Latin Times
Business
Rebecca Montecinos

Trump Says U.S. Struck the "Biggest Oil Deal in History" — Inside Venezuela Oil Deal and an Unanswered Signature

Oil rigs are pictured in Cabimas, south of Lake Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela, on January 31, 2026. The United States on January 29 eased sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry after Venezuelan lawmakers passed reforms paving the way for US companies to returna key goal of President Donald Trump's intervention in the country. (Credit: by Maryorin Mendez / AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump announced Friday night that Washington and Caracas have finalized what he called "the biggest oil deal in world history," a public-private arrangement giving the United States majority control over oil assets holding roughly 65 billion barrels in crude reserves. The announcement, posted to Truth Social and quickly echoed by Venezuela's government, marks the most dramatic step yet in eight months of expanding U.S. involvement in Venezuela's energy sector since American forces captured former President Nicolás Maduro on January 3.

The mechanics behind the "biggest oil deal in world history"

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