US President Donald Trump has claimed that India will buy oil from Venezuela instead of Iran. He made this statement while speaking to reporters on Saturday evening during his flight on Air Force One from Washington, DC, to Florida.
Trump said that the idea of such a deal has already been agreed upon. He also suggested that China could join similar oil arrangements. While talking to reporters, he said "China is welcome to come in and make a great deal on oil... We've already made a deal. India is coming in, and they're going to be buying Venezuelan oil as opposed to buying it from Iran. So, we've already made the concept of the deal..."
India’s Position on Iranian Oil
At present, India does not import large volumes of crude oil from Iran because of US sanctions. However, before these restrictions were imposed, Iran was one of India’s major oil suppliers.
Trump’s Remarks on Venezuela’s Leadership
Trump has also claimed that the United States now controls Venezuela’s affairs. He said that Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been captured and that his vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has been allowed to act as interim leader. According to Trump, this arrangement depends on her cooperation with the US, especially in granting access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
India and Venezuela Reconnect at Leadership Level
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. The conversation focused on strengthening cooperation between the two countries in areas such as energy, trade, and investment.
This was the first leadership-level contact between India and Venezuela since the United States carried out a military strike in Caracas on January 3 and detained President Maduro on charges related to drugs, weapons, and narco-terrorism.
After the phone call, PM Modi shared a message on social media saying, “Spoke with Acting President of Venezuela, Ms. Delcy Rodríguez. We agreed to further deepen and expand our bilateral partnership in all areas, with a shared vision of taking India-Venezuela relations to new heights in the years ahead,”
Broader Areas of Cooperation
India’s external affairs ministry said that both leaders agreed to expand cooperation across several sectors. These include trade and investment, energy, digital technology, health, agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges.
Trump’s Criticism of India’s Oil Policy
Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised India’s oil imports, especially purchases from Russia, which currently dominate India’s energy basket. He has imposed tariffs on Indian imports over this issue. India has strongly objected to these measures and described them as “unjustified.”