{"id":70996,"date":"2026-08-27T14:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts\/70996\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T14:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:08:11","slug":"trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts\/70996\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Administration Eyes Venezuelan Oil Stake Amid Global Energy Shifts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts\/70996\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts\/70996\/#US_Negotiates_%22Massive%22_Venezuelan_Oil_Deal\" >U.S. Negotiates &quot;Massive&quot; Venezuelan Oil Deal<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts\/70996\/#Autonomous_AI_Drones_Linked_to_Civilian_Deaths\" >Autonomous AI Drones Linked to Civilian Deaths<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts\/70996\/#Iran_Diplomacy_Stalls_as_Sanctions_Loom\" >Iran Diplomacy Stalls as Sanctions Loom<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts\/70996\/#Fed_Signals_Continued_Restrictiveness\" >Fed Signals Continued Restrictiveness<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-administration-eyes-venezuelan-oil-stake-amid-global-energy-shifts\/70996\/#Geopolitical_Friction_and_Infrastructure_Restarts\" >Geopolitical Friction and Infrastructure Restarts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Trump administration is in talks with Venezuela&#39;s interim government to acquire an ownership stake in the country&#39;s massive oil resources, a deal that could more than double U.S. oil reserves.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>A Russian &quot;Molniya&quot; drone powered by an <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) Jetson Orin minicomputer reportedly killed three civilians in Ukraine, marking the first documented case of fully autonomous lethal AI targeting.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>President Trump has rejected a return to the June memorandum of understanding with Iran, signaling a shift toward &quot;Economic D-Day&quot; sanctions as diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz falter.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack indicated that inflation may only ease to 2.5% &quot;at best&quot; next year, suggesting a need for continued policy restrictiveness despite a balanced job market.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"US_Negotiates_%22Massive%22_Venezuelan_Oil_Deal\"><\/span>U.S. Negotiates &quot;Massive&quot; Venezuelan Oil Deal<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Trump administration is reportedly nearing a historic agreement with Venezuela&#39;s interim government to take an ownership stake in the country&#39;s oil fields. According to sources familiar with the matter, the deal involves more than a dozen productive fields and could potentially allow the U.S. to control production of up to <strong>90 million barrels of oil a day<\/strong>. This move is seen as a strategic effort to replenish the <strong>U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve<\/strong>, which recently hit its lowest level since 1982 at approximately <strong>289.7 million barrels<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Autonomous_AI_Drones_Linked_to_Civilian_Deaths\"><\/span>Autonomous AI Drones Linked to Civilian Deaths<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A New York Times investigation revealed that a Russian drone guided entirely by artificial intelligence killed three civilians at a gas station in Zaporizhzhia on July 6. The drone utilized an <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) Jetson Orin<\/strong> minicomputer\u2014a consumer-grade component costing only a few hundred dollars\u2014to recognize and strike propane tanks without a human pilot. Ukrainian investigators found unencrypted code on the recovered chips, confirming the drone was programmed for autonomous target acquisition, signaling a grim new phase in AI-driven warfare.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Iran_Diplomacy_Stalls_as_Sanctions_Loom\"><\/span>Iran Diplomacy Stalls as Sanctions Loom<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in the Middle East have hit a major roadblock as the White House spurns a return to the terms of its <strong>June memorandum of understanding<\/strong> with Iran. President Trump has threatened an &quot;Economic D-Day,&quot; targeting any entity that provides a financial lifeline to Tehran. This escalation follows the collapse of a preliminary agreement negotiated at the <strong>Palace of Versailles<\/strong>, which had aimed to reopen the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> in exchange for sanctions relief and access to frozen assets.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fed_Signals_Continued_Restrictiveness\"><\/span>Fed Signals Continued Restrictiveness<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cleveland Fed President <strong>Beth Hammack<\/strong> told Fox Business that while the job market is &quot;broadly in balance,&quot; it is time to put more restrictiveness back into monetary policy. Hammack expects inflation to end the year around <strong>3%<\/strong> and warned that progress toward the 2% target will be slow, potentially reaching only <strong>2.5%<\/strong> by the end of 2025. She emphasized that she remains &quot;open-minded&quot; about the cadence of future meetings but stressed the need for action to ensure long-term price stability.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Geopolitical_Friction_and_Infrastructure_Restarts\"><\/span>Geopolitical Friction and Infrastructure Restarts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In a series of rapid-fire developments, President Trump signed an executive order to rename <strong>Lake Ontario<\/strong> to &quot;<strong>Lake America<\/strong>&quot; following a collapse in trade talks with Canada. Meanwhile, in the energy sector, the <strong>Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)<\/strong> has successfully restarted parts of the <strong>615,000 bpd Al Zour refinery<\/strong>. As of August 19, all three crude units are reportedly running at <strong>60% capacity<\/strong>, providing a critical boost to regional supply as global markets remain volatile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways The Trump administration is in talks with Venezuela&#39;s interim government to acquire an ownership stake in the country&#39;s 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