U.S.-Venezuela oil deal, a message to democracy seekers

Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The lack of transparency in U.S. foreign policy has always caused confusion and disasters, which indeed distracts the world and creates a vacuum and opens a gate for American politicians to push their agenda into targeted countries.

Obviously, preaching “democracy” has become an effective tool used by American politicians among oppressed people across the world.

Apparently, the deeper one looks into what the U.S. is preaching, the more shocking it can be to see how American politicians are misleading and misinforming people, including Americans. The U.S. defines democracy differently from its universal definition.

When the beauty of democracy centers the argument in U.S. foreign policy and begins to be exported to the world, a hideous purpose can be expected to be hidden behind it. The capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by U.S. military forces in January 2026, and his being charged with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses, also had other reasons hidden behind such offenses that led to his capture.

In fact, Venezuela has the largest crude oil reserves in the world. According to the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP), Venezuela holds approximately 303 billion barrels of crude oil in its reserves. It was not a surprise when President Donald Trump ordered U.S. forces in a secret operation to capture Venezuela’s Maduro.

Ending Maduro’s reign as a result of President Trump’s executive order was indeed a historic moment and a relief for Venezuelans. But obviously, the main reason was neither the freedom of Venezuelans nor Maduro’s actions per se. The U.S. focus on Venezuelan oil, which required bringing the regime to its knees, generated the military operation to capture Maduro.

The U.S. oil deal with Venezuela, as President Trump announced it on Friday, is revealing the hidden purpose behind the U.S. military operation in the country and ending Maduro’s era, which is opening the path for the U.S. to reach the country’s rich oil reserves. This deal would entitle the U.S. to 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, or 20% of its oil reserves.

The Trump administration claims that the oil deal is not a political process and that the interim Venezuelan government was not involved in the agreement, as, according to the White House, it was made with a private oil company.

However, the Venezuelan authorities were part of the agreement. Apparently, the U.S. recognizes the Venezuelan interim government only for such an important oil deal, which is one of the many U.S. plans to control major oil resources in the world.

Furthermore, with the deal signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the U.S. is aiming to boost weapons production, as it has been facing shortages that have become a concern, while President Trump denies such a claim. “For the treasonous SCUM that refuses to accurately report on our Military Operation in Iran, we have virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition, …” President Trump posted on Truth Social.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the plan to boost defense industrial production began under the Biden administration in 2022 and is now being conducted with the direct involvement of the Department of War in the U.S.-Venezuela oil deal.

President Trump, regarding the oil deal, also posted that it “…is a Gift from Venezuela to the people of the United States.” This is another hoax of President Trump as he places the American people in the front of the picture while he hides his goals behind them. This oil deal can damage the U.S. reputation in the world and break trust among its allies.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025. Photo: Reuters

The Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, opposed the agreement between the Venezuelan interim government and the U.S., and she believes that Venezuelan oil does not belong to the illegitimate government. “The wealth of our subsoil does not belong to an illegitimate regime – it belongs to the Venezuelan people,” Machado said.

Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after Maduro and was supported by President Trump, was involved in the oil deal with the U.S. Concern and criticism have been raised about the deal that was signed between the Trump administration and Rodríguez, an unelected interim president who was a member of Maduro’s former regime.

“Enemies of the U.S.,” Machado said regarding the officials who were in Maduro’s regime, as she expressed her concern that the Trump administration would not be in favor of a presidential election soon in the country. Apparently, President Trump is not pushing for an election. “You had a very powerful, very nasty dictatorship in Venezuela – and they’re just not going to be ready for it yet,” Trump said.

Also, as the U.S.-Iran war is continuing, the Trump administration’s credibility is declining while the president and his cabinet members are blatantly misinforming the public about such a war and its impact on the Islamic regime of Iran. Trump’s “America First” was indeed one of the tactics that Trump used throughout his campaign until now, but obviously, many Americans see the opposite of such rhetoric.

U.S. President Donald Trump, July 27, 2026. Photo: The White House.

And now, President Trump is describing the U.S. oil deal with Venezuela as a “Gift …to the people of the United States.” Such a statement is misinformation from President Trump to the American people, and while the U.S. brings revenue from such a deal, the American people remain under financial strain.

However, President Trump is only conducting a strategy that implements one of the U.S.’s unchanging policies, which is controlling the most strategic regions that are major sources of oil. The U.S. is structuring its relationship with oil-producing countries based on the level of imports and the benefits that it receives from them.

In capturing Maduro, President Trump hit two targets: controlling Venezuela’s oil as a long-term plan that could bring a significant amount of revenue to the U.S. and securing the Western Hemisphere to prevent the region from becoming a base of operations for major nations, such as China and Russia.

“This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live — and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries,…” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in January 2026.

For the U.S., oil is the main natural resource on which it depends, and if such a resource runs out, it could bring the entire system to collapse. President Trump links national and global security to oil supplies in the world as he undertakes plans to secure oil sources either through military operations or business agreements.

Speaking of Venezuela’s oil, Trump said, “We’re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.” This clear message should be a lesson not only for the Venezuelan people but also for those who seek democracy across the world, as they must realize that President Trump is not the savior.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.