MADURO: U.S. Wants to Steal Venezuela’s Oil Largest Reserves on Earth

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has launched a scathing attack against the United States, accusing Washington of attempting to steal his country’s vast oil reserves – the largest proven deposits in the world. Speaking at the Great Caribbean Parliamentary Meeting for Peace in Caracas, Maduro framed Venezuela’s struggle as part of a broader Latin American fight against U.S. imperialism, warning that American military buildup in the region represents an existential threat to Venezuelan sovereignty.

The fiery leftist leader detailed what he called a “multifaceted war” being waged by the Trump administration, combining economic sanctions, psychological operations, and military intimidation. “Without our 30 million hectares of farmland, without Bolívar’s glorious history, and without our position as holder of the world’s largest oil reserves and fourth largest gas reserves, Venezuela wouldn’t exist as we know it today,” Maduro told assembled delegates. His remarks highlighted how Venezuela’s natural resources have become both its greatest strength and its most dangerous vulnerability on the global stage.

Maduro’s accusations come amid a significant U.S. military deployment to the Caribbean region that has escalated tensions between the two nations. American B-52 strategic bombers have conducted provocative flight exercises near Venezuelan airspace, while the Trump administration has authorized expanded CIA operations targeting the South American country. The Venezuelan president characterized these moves as part of a coordinated effort to destabilize his government and lay the groundwork for resource extraction, drawing parallels to what he described as centuries of U.S. interventionism in Latin America.

The speech also addressed Washington’s recent claims about intercepting drug shipments from Venezuela, which Maduro dismissed as fabricated pretexts for aggression. “They want to impose their narrative on us – today it’s exaggerated stories about drug trafficking, tomorrow it will be something else,” he said, noting the absence of concrete evidence to support American allegations. The Venezuelan leader called for regional solidarity, framing the confrontation as a decisive battle for Latin American self-determination against what he termed “imperialist lies and aggression.”

Maduro’s warnings about U.S. designs on Venezuelan oil carry particular weight given recent economic developments. With Venezuela’s oil production already crippled by U.S. sanctions and years of mismanagement, analysts suggest the country’s 300 billion barrels of proven reserves represent an increasingly tempting target for American energy interests. The president’s remarks appear calculated to rally domestic support and international sympathy by portraying Venezuela as the victim of resource predation by its powerful northern neighbor, even as his own government struggles with severe economic crisis and political legitimacy challenges.