Trump Announces Texas Refining of Seized Venezuelan Oil

President Donald Trump announced on February 28, 2026, that the United States will refine Venezuelan oil in Texas for domestic use and global export. This policy follows a January 3 U.S. military strike in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, both of whom were flown to the U.S. and indicted in New York on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Delcy Rodriguez has since assumed the Venezuelan presidency.

Simultaneously, the United States Department of Justice filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to seize ownership of the oil tanker Skipper and approximately 2 million barrels of petroleum. The vessel was intercepted in the Caribbean Sea in December 2025 as part of a campaign to disrupt a shadow fleet used to evade sanctions. Prosecutors allege the Skipper operated as a ghost tanker since 2021, using spoofed locations and false flags to smuggle oil from Iran and Venezuela to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Attorney General Pam Bondi stated the department will use every legal authority to dismantle operations that fuel global chaos. This legal action is the first step in taking control of at least seven to 10 tankers intercepted by U.S. authorities. Trump described the move as a way to help rebuild Venezuela and stated that Washington would manage the country during a transition period, requiring total access to its national resources.