Image Credentials: Image Title: US Intervention Yields First Results: Initial $500M in Venezuelan Oil Sales Under Washington Control Source: (sora.openai) Date: January 2026. Attribution: This image was created using AI-generated imagery (sora.openai) and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle News Desk
CARACAS / WASHINGTON D.C. – Following the dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces earlier this month, the White House has announced the successful completion of the first major sale of Venezuelan crude under American oversight. The transaction, totaling an estimated $500 million, marks the beginning of a sweeping “energy for stability” initiative designed to exert indefinite U.S. control over the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
The sale involves approximately 50 million barrels of crude that had been languishing in storage during a month-long U.S. naval blockade. According to Treasury officials, the revenue is being deposited into U.S.-administered accounts, with a portion of the funds already being funneled back into the Venezuelan economy through private banking channels.
Injecting Liquidity into a Broken Economy
In Caracas, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed on Tuesday that $300 million from the initial sale has been received by four private banks: Banesco, BBVA Provincial, Banco Mercantil, and Banco Nacional de Crédito. Rodríguez stated that these funds are being used to protect the “purchasing power” of Venezuelan workers and to curb the rampant inflation that has historically plagued the nation.
“These resources are entering the country to safeguard incomes and ensure exchange rate stability,” Rodríguez said during a televised broadcast. The move is seen as a tactical effort by the interim administration—and its backers in Washington—to win public favor by providing immediate economic relief following the ouster of the previous regime.
Operation Southern Spear: Controlling the “Shadow Fleet”
While oil revenue begins to flow through official channels, the U.S. military continues to enforce a strict “quarantine” in the Caribbean. On Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command announced the seizure of the Sagitta, a Liberia-flagged tanker accused of attempting to move sanctioned Venezuelan oil. This marks the seventh vessel apprehended since the January 3 raid.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the seizures as necessary “leverage,” ensuring that no oil leaves Venezuela without proper coordination through the U.S. Treasury’s new regulatory framework.
The $100 Billion Reconstruction Plan
President Donald Trump has met with top executives from global energy conglomerates to outline a $100 billion infrastructure plan aimed at rehabilitating Venezuela’s dilapidated refineries and pipelines. While companies like ExxonMobil have expressed caution, the administration is moving forward with a series of Executive Orders to “safeguard” oil revenues, shielding them from private creditors and redirecting them toward national reconstruction.
“We are going to run the country properly, and the oil belongs to the people, but the sales will be coordinated by us,” the President stated during a press briefing in Davos.
As the first $500 million transaction concludes, the international community remains divided over the legality of the U.S. intervention, with many observing that the “Board of Peace” model is rapidly transforming the Caribbean’s geopolitical landscape.