The US will control the sale of oil from Venezuela indefinitely, according to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, as reported by the AFP news agency.
“We are going to market the crude oil that comes out of Venezuela. First, the stored oil, and then we will sell the production that comes out of Venezuela on the market for an indefinite period,” Wright said during an energy event in Miami, AFP reports.
The minister’s announcement comes after US President Donald Trump said that between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil will be transferred from Venezuela to the US.
The president wrote this in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
“The oil will be sold at market price, and I will control the money to ensure that it is used for the benefit of the people of Venezuela and the US,” he wrote.
He added that he has instructed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to carry out the transfer immediately.
“It [the oil, ed.] will be transported by tankers and brought directly to ports in the US,” the president wrote.
On Saturday, US forces attacked Venezuela in several locations and arrested the country’s now-deposed president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife at their home in the capital, Caracas.
Trump has since said that Venezuela’s oil reserves should no longer be controlled by the Venezuelans themselves, but should be taken over by the US.
