President Nicolás Maduro confirmed Thursday that the US oil company Chevron received a license to continue operating in Venezuela after Washington and Caracas made an exchange of prisoners.
“Indeed, the Chevron company was informed of the licensing to follow its operations in Venezuela, they informed the executive vice president, Delcy Rodríguez,” said the Venezuelan president in a special interview with the multiestatal channel Telesur.
#Noticiasahora | Nicolás Maduro said that Chevron received a new license to continue operating in #Venezuela.
Tune the #Merridian emission: https://t.co/ln9O0n9GDP pic.twitter.com/kpgcvlqkzu
– VPITV (@VPITV) July 25, 2025
When asked about whether the granting of this license is related to The liberation of the 252 migrants Venezuelans who were detained in a maximum security prison in El Salvador, the president replied: “No comment.”
Growth, according to Maduro
Maduro said that in all this time, Venezuela “has grown 12 % in oil production, with their own efforts.” “That’s why I have always said, we do not need licenses to produce, we have learned our own path, little to Poquito, it is far away,” he added.
He also said that his government has been aiming the economy, in general, “but specifically the hydrocarbons industry.”
“So there are work tables for Chevron to return to their functions, I congratulate them, it seems very good to me, Chevron is 102 years in Venezuela and I want you to be 100 years (more) and work without problems,” he added.
Maduro invited US investors to do business with the Venezuelan government.
“Every United States investor who wants to work with serious people, people in word, based on legality, come to Venezuela, Venezuela is the paradise of investments for oil, gas, petrochemical, hydrocarbons, etc.”, he added.
Donald Trump’s government had suspended Chevron crude pumping operations in Venezuela at the end of May, recalls an EFE report.
Exploitation rights and taxes
According to the Spanish Agency, Trump and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, discussed the matter after remembering the repatriation of the ten Americans imprisoned in Venezuela and returning 252 Venezuelans to their country after Washington’s expulsion to El Salvador, where they were imprisoned.
EFE takes as reference declarations of the Wall Street Journal, according to which many details of this decision are not clear. In addition, two sources close to the matter indicated to the Journal that for a possible restart of the pumping of crude oil it would be demanded that Chevron not pay or exploitation rights or taxes to the Government of Venezuela.
In November 2022, the administration of Joe Biden (2021-2025) had granted oil licenses, coinciding with the dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition for the call for presidential elections in the country.
Shortly after his return to power in January, Trump announced the withdrawal of Chevron’s license, but subsequently granted an extension.
Chevron had a minimal operating license in Venezuela, which only allows essential maintenance operations, such as the one before 2022, according to the report.
