U.S. firms involved in the effort would face risks, León and Cinquegrana said. Chevron is currently the only U.S. oil firm operating in Venezuela, as part of a joint venture with the country's state-owned oil outfit.

The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has reopened a question the oil market has largely sidelined for years: What changes if Venezuela’s oil industry begins to normalize under U.S. influence?

The Trump administration is counting on Big Oil to revive Venezuela's creaky energy sector. That's no sure bet, according to industry experts.

Energy stocks rallied on Monday as investors bet the Venezuela mission would benefit the US, but analysts said there's lots of work ahead.

Most of the reserves in the country are extra-heavy oil that’s tough to extract and generates more greenhouse gases.

Shares in Chevron, Exxon and other energy companies climbed, while oil prices jumped, on Monday after Maduro's ouster.

As Washington moves to reshape Venezuela’s oil sector, campaign finance data shows Republicans received the vast majority of oil and gas industry election spending in 2023 and 2024.

It will take years and billions in investment to revitalize Venezuela’s oil industry, and energy producers will likely be cautious before stepping in.