**US Takes Control of Venezuela’s Oil Reserves Following the Arrest of President Nicolás Maduro**
The recent arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has placed the world’s largest proven oil reserves under the de facto influence of the United States. President Donald Trump announced that the US will take over the Venezuelan oil business—a move that has raised eyebrows, sparked domestic political debates, and caused international concern.
As Washington assumes a central role in the governance of Caracas, the global energy market braces for a potentially radical transformation of Venezuela’s petroleum sector.
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### Venezuela’s Vast Oil Reserves: “More Than Saudi”
A viral TikTok report has thrust Venezuela’s immense natural wealth back into the spotlight. According to Dylan Page, a popular TikToker with 18 million followers, Venezuela holds approximately **300 billion barrels** of crude oil reserves—**the largest proven reserves in the world**, surpassing even Saudi Arabia’s 267 billion barrels.
Page highlighted that, at a price of £42 ($57) per barrel, Venezuela’s oil reserves could be valued at a staggering **$17 trillion (£12.58 trillion)**—nearly equivalent to the combined GDP of the entire European Union (27 countries).
The Energy Institute, a respected research firm, corroborates this figure, underscoring Venezuela’s key position in the global energy landscape.
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### Challenges in Unlocking the Oil Wealth
Despite the impressive numbers, Page clarified that extracting these reserves is “extremely expensive.” This costliness has limited Venezuela’s ability to sell more than a fraction of their oil resources so far.
In reference to President Trump’s plan to take over the Venezuelan oil industry, Page explained that profits would be divided among three entities: Venezuelans within the country, Venezuelan citizens abroad, and the United States. However, he remains uncertain how exactly these profits would be split and whether the plan will come to fruition.
“So that’s the plan for Venezuela’s oil. Whether that actually happens, we’ll see about it,” Page concluded.
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### Trump’s Vision: “They Stole Our Oil”
President Donald Trump has been explicit about his intentions for Venezuela’s energy sector. He often stresses the need to revitalize the “oil business” through American expertise and investment.
During a recent briefing, Trump emphasized that previous Venezuelan regimes had squandered enormous wealth and declared:
> “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure—the oil infrastructure—and start making money for the country.”
Trump also expressed his ambition to sell Venezuelan oil internationally. He asserted that Americans initially built Venezuela’s oil industry, but that it had been “stolen” —calling these actions “the largest thefts of American property in the history of our country,” as reported by NBC News.
This statement refers to events in the 2000s when former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez seized billions of pounds worth of assets from American oil giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips without fair compensation. For Trump, the US is merely reclaiming what American companies had originally developed.
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### The Fall of Maduro and the US Operation
On Saturday, January 3, US forces arrested Nicolás Maduro during **Operation Absolute Resolve**, commanded by General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The mission deployed a massive force of over 150 aircraft, including F-22s, F-35s, and B-1 bombers, leading to the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Maduro’s apprehension has created a power vacuum swiftly filled by the United States, prompting speculation from some journalists that “there has been an arrangement behind the scenes.”
This event marks the end of Venezuela’s decades-long socialist experiment and the start of direct external administration. As the US continues to manage Venezuela’s daily operations, its primary focus is transitioning the oil industry from state control to a privatized model.
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### Future Outlook: Privatization Amidst Challenges
The planned restructuring of Venezuela’s oil sector is expected to encounter significant legal and social challenges. Nonetheless, the US administration remains committed to an extensive overhaul of the Venezuelan state apparatus aimed at unlocking the full potential of its vast oil reserves.
The world will be watching closely as Venezuela embarks on this new chapter under American stewardship—one that could reshape the global energy market for years to come.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/what-will-happen-venezuelas-300-billion-barrels-crude-reserves-trump-takes-over-oil-business-1767957
