---
title: "Can the US Really Take Venezuela's Oil?"
description: "Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves—but it’s still poor. We break down why its crude is so hard to use, why the US wants it, and what happens after Maduro. Sources https://www.wbay.com/video/2026/01/07/trump-says-venezuela-will-turn-over-30-million-50-million-barrels-oil-us/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4grxzxjjd8o https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/climate/venezuela-dirty-oil.html https://www.petrosync.com/blog/crude-oil-type/ https://kimray.com/training/types-crude-oil-heavy-vs-light-sweet-vs-sour-and-tan-count https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/05/venezuelan-crude-oil-appeals-to-us-refineries https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/01/04/donald-trumps-great-venezuelan-oil-gamble https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/12/29/explainer-why-chevron-still-operates-in-venezuela-despite-us-sanctions https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/business/venezuela-oil-supply.html https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5668491/venezuela-oil-global-markets https://www.newsweek.com/map-venezuela-oil-reserves-compare-rest-world-11301907 https://www.wcvb.com/article/venezuelas-oil-industry-data-charts-2026/69919016 https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-04/why-oil-has-been-a-longstanding-source-of-tension-between-venezuela-and-the-united-states.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2017/05/07/how-venezuela-ruined-its-oil-industry/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-guns-oil-donald-trump-nicolas-maduro-opec-venezuela/"
url: https://fronts.co/videos/homefronts-gs8zoktwkjm.md
canonical: https://fronts.co/videos/homefronts-gs8zoktwkjm/
datePublished: 2026-01-08T18:31:10.000Z
dateModified: 2026-01-08T18:31:10.000Z
author:
  - name: Fronts Staff
    url: https://fronts.co/authors/fronts-team/
publisher: Fronts
type: NewsArticle
language: en
access: members
isAccessibleForFree: false
tokens: 404
---

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Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves—but it’s still poor. We break down why its crude is so hard to use, why the US wants it, and what happens after Maduro. Sources https://www.wbay.com/video/2026/01/07/trump-says-venezuela-will-turn-over-30-million-50-million-barrels-oil-us/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4grxzxjjd8o https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/climate/venezuela-dirty-oil.html https://www.petrosync.com/blog/crude-oil-type/ https://kimray.com/training/types-crude-oil-heavy-vs-light-sweet-vs-sour-and-tan-count https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/05/venezuelan-crude-oil-appeals-to-us-refineries https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/01/04/donald-trumps-great-venezuelan-oil-gamble https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/12/29/explainer-why-chevron-still-operates-in-venezuela-despite-us-sanctions https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/business/venezuela-oil-supply.html https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5668491/venezuela-oil-global-markets https://www.newsweek.com/map-venezuela-oil-reserves-compare-rest-world-11301907 https://www.wcvb.com/article/venezuelas-oil-industry-data-charts-2026/69919016 https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-04/why-oil-has-been-a-longstanding-source-of-tension-between-venezuela-and-the-united-states.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2017/05/07/how-venezuela-ruined-its-oil-industry/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-guns-oil-donald-trump-nicolas-maduro-opec-venezuela/

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Full analysis is behind the paywall. Read the gated piece at https://fronts.co/videos/homefronts-gs8zoktwkjm/.
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