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[SITUATION] · [QUIET] · [INTERNATIONAL]

6 clusters · 51 sources · 32 days · First seen · Last updated

U.S. expands and refines sanctions relief for Venezuela

Overview

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has expanded and refined its sanctions relief for Venezuela, covering the telecommunications, energy, and mining sectors. Following initial measures for telecommunications infrastructure, OFAC modified eight general licenses to ease restrictions on the oil, gas, petrochemical, and mining industries. In the energy sector, U.S. entities may engage in the extraction, export, and transport of Venezuelan crude and petrochemical products for import into the United States, provided they partner with PDVSA or its affiliates. These licenses also permit the supply of technology and services for energy production and the sale of U.S.-origin diluents, subject to specific international dispute resolution requirements.

In September 2026, OFAC issued updated versions of mining sector licenses (51D, 54C, and 55A) to replace previous iterations. General License 51D permits the export, sale, transport, and refining of Venezuelan coal and minerals, such as gold, requiring 30-day reporting. General License 54C allows for the provision of necessary goods, technology, and services, while General License 55A permits the negotiation of preliminary agreements for new investments.

Further updates in late September 2026 introduced General Licenses 46E, 48D, and 49B to provide clearer guidelines for companies in the energy and infrastructure sectors. License 46E permits the extraction, sale, transport, and refining of Venezuelan-origin oil and petrochemicals, specifically adding methanol and allowing crude oil swaps. License 48D authorizes the supply of goods, technology, and software to support oil, gas, petrochemical, and electricity sector operations, though it strictly prohibits the export of diluents to Venezuela and the formation of new joint ventures. License 49B allows for the negotiation and signing of contingent contracts for new investments. These measures prohibit transactions involving entities from Cuba, Russia, Iran, or North Korea and mandate specific jurisdictions for legal disputes involving the Venezuelan state or PDVSA.

Entities

Office of Foreign Assets Control · U.S. Department of the Treasury · Venezuela · United States Department of the Treasury · PDVSA

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

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Timeline

  1. [INTERNATIONAL] 4 sources
    United States maintains sanctions on Venezuelan officials while easing PDVSA trade

    The U.S. maintains rewards for Diosdado Cabello and sanctions on the Cartel de los Soles while issuing a new OFAC license allowing certain U.S. companies to conduct business with PDVSA.

  2. [BUSINESS] 5 sources
    US OFAC extends Citgo protections against creditors

    U.S. OFAC has issued General License 5Z, extending protections for Citgo and authorizing specific PDVSA bond transactions starting November 5, 2026, to prevent unauthorized seizure of the refinery.

  3. [INTERNATIONAL] 17 sources
    US OFAC updates licenses for Venezuela mining and coal sectors

    The US Treasury's OFAC has issued new licenses (51D, 54C, 55A) allowing expanded US involvement in Venezuela's gold, mineral, and coal sectors under strict reporting and geopolitical restrictions.

  4. [BUSINESS] 16 sources
    OFAC eases Venezuela sanctions for oil, mining, and telecom sectors

    OFAC has modified eight general licenses to ease U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, authorizing expanded operations in the oil, gas, mining, and telecommunications sectors while maintaining strict financial oversight

  5. [INTERNATIONAL] 27 sources
    OFAC issues new telecommunications licenses for Venezuela

    OFAC has issued General Licenses 61 and 62, authorizing U.S. companies to provide telecommunications goods, services, and new investment contracts to Venezuelan entities like Cantv and Conatel.

  6. [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    U.S. authorizes Venezuelan telecom operations as Argentina restricts foreign state control in rail bids

    The U.S. authorized telecom transactions with Venezuelan state entities under specific restrictions, while Argentina barred foreign state-controlled companies from bidding on the Belgrano Cargas railway.

Sources

2001online.com · allegrini.it · arepatecnologica.com · cablenoticias.tv · caraotadigital.net · colombia.com · comunicacioncontinua.com · contrapodernews.com · cronicadecantabria.com · diarioellibertador.com.ar · diarionoticias.do · diarioriente.com · diariovea.com.ve · dirigentesdigital.com · economiahoy.digital · eldiario.com · elfinanciero.net · elinformadorve.com · entornointeligente.com · espiganoticias.net · expreso.ec · fintechvenezuelaguia.com.ve · kajgana.com · lajornadasanluis.com.mx · laverdad.com · mediodigitalrd.com · moncloa.com · monitoreamos.com · mundour.com · n.com.do · notiapure.com.ve · noticia.do · noticialibre.com · noticiasdevzla.com · notifalcon.com · notitarde.com.ve · nuevodia.com.ve · orinocotribune.com · precision.com.do · primeraedicioncol.com · primeronoticias.com.co · questiondigital.com · radioondaazul.com · rdnvenezuela.com · regeneracion.mx · riotimesonline.com · rnv.gob.ve · talcualdigital.com

This summary has been updated 13 times: see revision history