The United States has completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil, generating approximately $500 million, a senior U.S. official confirmed on Wednesday marking the first major energy transaction since Washington’s intervention in Venezuela earlier this month.
The sale is part of a broader $2 billion agreement between U.S. authorities and Venezuela’s interim leadership, with additional sales expected in the coming days and weeks as the U.S. government begins marketing Caracas’s crude under its supervision.
Revenue from the initial sale is being held in bank accounts controlled by the U.S. government. A principal account has been established in Qatar, chosen as a neutral location to facilitate the movement of funds with U.S. approval and to minimize risk of seizure or legal challenges.
The arrangement follows a high-profile military operation in early January in which U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, a move that has reshaped diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries. Under the terms of the emerging energy framework, the United States is overseeing the sale of millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude, with proceeds managed under U.S. oversight.
Venezuela holds some of the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world estimated at roughly 303 billion barrels making its petroleum resources a strategic focus in global energy markets.
Officials say the proceeds from these sales will be used in line with the terms of the U.S.–Venezuela agreement and that the process is intended to support both economic stability and broader foreign policy objectives.
