The licence issued by the US Treasury Department Thursday covers a variety of activities that could expedite the movement of Venezuelan crude, including exporting, selling, storing and refining that oil,

The Trump administration has granted a general license that permits oil companies to engage more extensively in Venezuela, reflecting a shift in U.S. sanctions amid new leadership in the country.

Venezuela, accused by the United States of being part of an oil shipping network that supported groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. But as the number of U.S.-seized oil tankers grows,

Three US companies, including Chevron and Carlyle, are in talks to acquire or invest in Lukoil’s oil fields in Iraq as global energy competition intensifies.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday the United States will not provide on-the-ground security to oil companies operating in Venezuela as part of efforts to revitalize the country’s energy industry.

President Donald Trump painted a simplistic picture for the US operation in Venezuela: go in, get the oil and start exporting. But Big Oil’s experience in post-invasion Iraq proved that the reality will be far more complicated.