White House sends energy chief to Venezuela for talks on oil, mining ties

A White House energy official was set to go to Caracas and sit down with Venezuelan executives and government officials, a move that showed how far Washington was willing to bend its isolation policy when oil, critical minerals and sanctions collided.

Jarrod Agen, who leads the National Energy Dominance Council, traveled to Venezuela on Thursday for talks that centered on energy and mining ties. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said the effort was meant to restore partnership, rebuild economic ties and open the door to unprecedented investments that could benefit both American and Venezuelan interests.

The trip carried more weight than a routine diplomatic contact. It placed a senior energy official, not a traditional envoy, at the center of a relationship that has long been shaped by distrust, sanctions and political conflict. The signal from the administration was clear: access to Venezuelan oil and minerals has become a tool of foreign policy, not just a commercial prize.

That shift mattered because Venezuela’s energy sector was already showing signs of recovery. The country’s oil production, including condensate and gas liquids, reached 1.1 million barrels per day in March 2026, up from 942,000 barrels per day in January. Exports also topped 1 million barrels per day in March for the first time since September 2025. At the same time, oilfield service companies were pulling rigs and specialized equipment out of storage in Venezuela as the government reviewed oil and gas contracts, a sign that firms were preparing for a possible expansion in activity.

The policy backdrop was just as important. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a series of Venezuela-related general licenses in 2026, including licenses on February 10, February 13, March 13 and April 14 that expanded authorizations for oil, petrochemical and financial-services activity, along with negotiations over contingent contracts and investment terms. The licenses suggested Washington was creating a more permissive framework for limited commerce without offering broad sanctions relief.

Agen’s trip also fit into a wider run of engagement. The U.S. energy secretary had traveled to Venezuela in February for talks on energy-sector reform and sanctions relief, and the U.S. interior secretary led a delegation of mining and minerals companies to Caracas in March. Doug Burgum later said the U.S. had recently brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela, underscoring how minerals had become part of the opening.

For Caracas and Washington alike, the question now was whether this was a temporary transaction or the start of a more durable reset built on oil, mining and carefully managed leverage.