US Declares It Will ‘Dictate’ Venezuela’s Decisions: Country’s Oil, Govt, Sovereignty To Be Controlled By Washington? | World News
Washington: In a unilateral show of power, the United States announced that it would dictate the decisions of Venezuela’s interim government and supervise the sale of the country’s oil reserves. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez and his administration will comply with the directives of the United States.
“The Trump administration, led by Secretary Rubio, the vice president, and the president’s national security team, has been in correspondence with the interim authorities in Venezuela. It is clear that we have maximum influence over the interim authorities in Venezuela at this time,” he said.
He went further, emphasizing that the Venezuelan government’s decisions “will continue to be dictated by the United States.”
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US Takes Action to Control Venezuelan Oil
Leavitt also confirmed that the United States would monitor the sale of Venezuelan crude oil and petroleum products. It follows earlier statements by Energy Minister Chris Wright that all revenues will be held in US-controlled accounts.
“All proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan crude oil and products will be transferred primarily to U.S.-controlled accounts at globally recognized banks to ensure the legitimacy and integrity of the final distribution of the proceeds. And these funds will be distributed at the discretion of the U.S. government for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people,” he said.
The White House press secretary added that Washington would “selectively roll back sanctions” on Venezuelan oil to enable those sales on the global market, underscoring the direct control the United States asserts over the country’s natural resources.
Rubio Details Three-Phase Plan
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has talked about a three-step plan for Venezuela following Maduro’s ouster, focused on stabilizing the country, helping it recover economically and eventually guiding a political transition.
The first phase involves buying 30 to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil and selling them “at market rates,” he said. “This money will then be used in a way where we control how it is distributed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people and not corruption,” he said.
According to him, the second phase aims to open the Venezuelan economy to Western companies and allow opposition leaders to return with amnesty; The third stage, which he describes as “transition”, is largely undefined.
“We’ll have more details in the coming days, but we think we’re moving forward in a very positive way here,” Rubio said.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth echoed the administration’s self-congratulatory tone, telling reporters that “the world is noticing” and that President Trump “isn’t kidding.” He praised the “high level of sophistication” of U.S. actions, portraying Washington’s interventions as deliberate displays of global dominance.
Venezuelan Oil is Already Marketed
The US Department of Energy confirmed that it had begun “marketing” Venezuelan crude oil around the world and emphasized that the proceeds would be controlled by the US and distributed at its discretion.
While the administration claims the money will benefit both the Venezuelan and American people, no details are provided on how the funds will be allocated, leaving experts skeptical.
Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA said negotiations were ongoing with the United States for “purely commercial transactions” that it claimed would benefit both countries.
But the White House has explained that its role in controlling the revenues is a matter of ensuring “legitimacy and integrity” by effectively placing Venezuela’s wealth under US authority.
UN Experts Condemn US Overreach
The United Nations criticized Washington, saying the administration’s plans “amount to a flagrant disregard for peoples’ right to self-determination and the associated sovereignty over their natural resources.”
Experts emphasized that Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and that these reserves should not be exploited under “thinly veiled excuses” such as military intervention or regime change strategies.
“The international community has a fundamental responsibility to avoid being complicit in imperial strategies that violate human rights, non-interference and self-determination,” the UN statement said.
Experts also warned that such actions by the United States “represent a deliberate challenge to the international legal order and the principle of limitation of power by law.” Tolerating such behavior risks normalizing lawlessness in global affairs, they added.
