(Council on Foreign Relations, Elliott Abrams, 18.Feb.2021) — As part of the broad economic sanctions against the Maduro regime in Venezuela and especially the petroleum sector, the Trump administration barred swaps of Venezuelan crude oil for gasoline and diesel. There has been a debate over this step. The humanitarian argument […]
Tag: Elliott Abrams
Elliott Abrams Briefing On Iran And Venezuela
(US Department of State, 16.Sep.2020) — Special teleconference briefing with special representative for Iran and Venezuela Elliott Abrams on developments in Iran and Venezuela. MS ORTAGUS: Thank you so much and good afternoon, everybody. I know we’re having this call right after we did the press conference with the Secretary […]
Citgo-6 Surpasses 1,000 Days Of Wrongful Detention
(Energy Analytics Institute, 1.Sep.2020) — More than 1,000 days have passed since Tomeu Vadell, JosĂ© Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cardenas and JosĂ© Pereira — known as the Citgo-6 — were lured to Caracas for business meetings and then detained by masked security agents and thrown into one […]
US’ Abrams Eyes Tighter Sanctions On Venezuela
(Reuters, 31.Aug.2020) — The Trump administration is looking to tighten oil sanctions on Venezuela in the near future, top U.S. envoy for the country told Reuters on Monday, by potentially removing exemptions that allow some oil companies to receive crude oil from the OPEC member. U.S. President Donald Trump has […]
Two US Execs Go From Prison To House Arrest
(CNN, 31.Jul.2020) — Two American oil executives held in an overcrowded Venezuelan prison for almost three years have been placed in house arrest, a sign that the embattled government of Nicolas Maduro may be easing its stance toward the detainees. Gustavo Cárdenas and Jorge Toledo were released to house arrest […]
US Ups Pressure To Push Venezuela Oil Exports To 0
(Oilprice.com, 13.Jul.2020) — The United States is pressing shippers, insurers, certification organizations, and flag states registering vessels not to work with Venezuela as the Trump Administration is looking to cut off Nicolas Maduro’s regime from international oil trade, Elliott Abrams, the U.S. Administration’s special representative for Venezuela, told Reuters in […]
Shipping Magnate Faces US Sanctions Probe
(Reuters, 12.Jun.2020) — The United States is investigating a Venezuelan shipping magnate for possibly violating U.S. sanctions by bringing fuel to gasoline-short Venezuela, according to two senior Trump administration officials. President Donald Trump’s envoy on Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, said the Treasury Department, which oversees sanctions policy, would determine the course […]
FBI Probes Firms Over Venezuela Oil Trading
(Reuters, 13.May.2020) — The FBI is probing several Mexican and European companies allegedly involved in trading Venezuelan oil as it gathers information for a U.S. Treasury Department inquiry into possible sanctions busting, according to four people familiar with the matter. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and special envoy for […]
US Eying Not Renewing Chevron’s Venezuela Waiver
(Reuters, 6.Mar.2020) — The U.S. government is preparing to impose new measures as soon as next week to stifle Venezuela’s oil exports, including a move not to renew Chevron Corp’s license to do business with state-run company PDVSA, sources familiar with the matter said. The United States imposed harsh sanctions […]
Venezuela’s Oil Exports Rose Ahead Of Wind-down Date
(Reuters, 2.Mar.2020) — Venezuela’s oil exports rose 9% in February from the previous month, as some buyers rushed to take cargoes ahead of the expiration of a wind-down period as part of new U.S. sanctions on PDVSA and its trade partners, data from the state-run firm and Refinitiv Eikon showed. […]
US Imports Of Russian Residue Complicate Venezuela Sanctions
(Argus, 10.Feb.2020) — US Gulf Coast refiners have been increasing their imports of a crude oil residue from Russia in response to both sanctions on Venezuelan crude exports and declining prices of high sulfur fuel oil ahead of International Maritime Organization’s revamp of marine fuel sulfur regulations. The trend could […]
Chevron Gets 4th Reprieve From Venezuela Sanctions
(Argus, 17.Jan.2020) — Washington will allow Chevron and four US oil field service providers to continue operating in Venezuela until 22 April by granting a fourth waiver late yesterday from US sanctions imposed almost a year ago on the Opec country. The US Treasury Department sanctions enforcement arm, the Office […]
China Scaling Back Economic Support For Maduro: Envoy
(Reuters, 15.Jan.2020) — The Trump administration’s envoy on Venezuela said China appears to be scaling back economic support for President Nicolas Maduro, and Beijing acknowledged a diminishing role largely due to U.S. sanctions against the OPEC nation. As China’s economic activities have declined, Maduro and his socialist government are becoming […]
Abrams Sees China Scaling Back Support For Maduro
(Reuters, 15.Jan.2020) — The Trump administration’s envoy on Venezuela said China appears to be scaling back economic support for President Nicolas Maduro, and Beijing acknowledged a diminishing role largely due to U.S. sanctions against the OPEC nation. As China’s economic activities have declined, Maduro and his socialist government are becoming […]
US Considering More Venezuela Sanctions
(S&P Global Platts, 6.Jan.2020) — The US may respond to escalating political disarray in Venezuela by allowing a sanctions waiver for Chevron and four US oil services companies to expire later this month and could ratchet up oil sanctions on foreign companies still working in the South American country, analysts […]
US Says Maduro Rigging Coming Vote
(NYT, 20.Dec.2019) — At stake is control of the country’s National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition leader Juan GuaidĂł, who has accused President Nicolás Maduro of corruption. The United States accused President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela on Friday of trying to rig a coming election for control of […]
Rosneft Undermining US Plans In Venezuela?
(Atlantic Council, Matthew Bryza, 27.Nov.2019) — US President Donald Trump is conducting policies of “maximum pressure” on two countries, Venezuela and Iran. In Venezuela, Russia’s state-owned oil company, Rosneft, actively undercuts this US policy by helping Caracas circumvent Washington’s tough economic sanctions. Yet Washington has not applied broad sanctions against […]
Venezuela Readies Handover Of PDVSA To Rosneft
(Tass, 16.Oct.2019) — The government of Venezuela is ready to hand over full control over its state-run oil company PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela) to Russia’s Rosneft, El Nacional newspaper said citing own sources in the industry. According to the paper, the initiative was put forward with an aim to secure […]