The U. S. military seized a fifth oil tanker linked to Venezuela. It comes as President Trump met with oil executives about investing in Venezuela’s oil industry. Nancy Cordes and Charlie D’Agata have more.
Tag: venezuela
Trump tells reporters Venezuela is ‘dead’ and needs ‘big investment’ from oil companies
President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that Venezuela is a “dead” country that needs “big investment” from oil companies to survive. Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One as he traveled back to Washington, D. C. from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His comments come after the Trump administration extracted Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Venezuela early on Saturday morning, flying them to the U. S. to stand trial on narco-terrorism and gun charges. The president was asked about the move during a press gaggle with reporters. “Venezuela, right now, is a dead country,” Trump said. “We have to bring it back. We’re going to have to have big investments from the oil companies to rebuild the infrastructure. The oil companies are ready to go,” Trump continued. “They’re going to go in. They’re going to build the infrastructure. We built it to start off with many years ago. They took it away. You can’t do that.” Trump’s decision to arrest Maduro happened at a politically sensitive time for the administration. The Department of Justice recently released files from the FBI’s investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that painted Trump’s relationship with the convicted sex criminal in an unscrupulous light. Trump has also threatened to invade other countries like Mexico and Colombia if their leaders do not reduce the flow of drugs into the U. S. Trump: “Venezuela right now is a dead country. We have to bring it back. We’re gonna have to have big investments by the oil companies.” pic. twitter. com/2Rs56fgWih- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 5, 2026.
Venezuela Says Iran Offered Cooperation ‘In All Areas’ After U.S. Seizures Of Oil Tankers
Venezuela said Iran has offered broad cooperation following the latest U. S. seizures of oil tankers linked to Venezuelan crude as tensions escalate over Washington’s enforcement of sanctions and maritime interdictions in the Caribbean.
U.S. Officials Reportedly Modeled Maduro’s Fall in a War Game: It Resulted In a Violent Power Struggle in Venezuela
U. S. officials conducted a war game during Donald Trump’s first term to assess what might follow the fall of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro with ominous results, according to by The New York Times.
Venezuela’s USDT Adoption Gives U.S. Access to Key Financial Data
The post Venezuela’s USDT Adoption Gives U. S. Access to Key Financial Data appeared com. Venezuela’s widespread USDT adoption reveals how digital stablecoins replace cash amid severe dollar shortages and economic restrictions. Tether’s cooperation with U. S. agencies allows transaction monitoring, giving Washington valuable insights into Venezuelan financial and commercial activity. Venezuela’s use of the digital currency USDT provides valuable financial information to the United States. The public and traceable nature of these transactions offers a clear view of monetary movements within the country. USDT, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, now processes more settlements than physical dollar transactions in Venezuela. This change stems from a severe shortage of cash dollars in the national economy. The adoption of USDT has accelerated in recent months. For years, Venezuelans have used this asset as a gateway to global markets and a safeguard against devaluation of the bolivar and high inflation. Since June, its use for currency exchange has expanded further. This growth corresponds with a reduction in oil income, worsened by restrictions on government payments. A shortage of physical dollars exists, and the digital version in stablecoins has become a functional substitute. USDT Surpasses Physical Dollar Transactions in Venezuela Unlike the state-created Petro, which faced strong public resistance, the US dollar holds a position of trust among the population. Dollar-pegged stablecoins found a ready environment for adoption. The use of USDT allows private companies to exchange bolivars for the digital currency through authorized exchange houses, provided they use wallets approved by authorities. During the first seven months of the year, the Central Bank of Venezuela injected 14% fewer dollars and euros into the exchange market compared to the same period last year. By September, state settlements using USDT had surpassed those made with physical dollars. A known issue with this.