U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said on a program by the U.S. National Broadcasting Company (NBC) that Washington's key objective in Venezuela is to prevent the growing influence of Russia, Iran, China, and Hezbollah.
He stated that it cannot be allowed for Caracas to become a base for America's adversaries. "You cannot allow Venezuela to become a base for the intelligence agents of Iran, Russia, Hezbollah, China, or Cuba. This situation must not continue any longer. It is absolutely unacceptable for the world's largest oil reserves to fall under the control of America's adversaries,"
Rubio's remarks directly pointed to the strategic intent of the United States regarding Venezuela's oil resources, which centers on preventing the largest oil reserves from being controlled by anti-American forces, with the Trump administration openly pursuing this goal through military actions.
Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves (about 30 billion barrels, accounting for 17% of the global total). Rubio repeatedly emphasized that these resources "must never fall into the hands of adversaries such as Iran, Russia, China, or Cuba," believing that this would threaten American geopolitical hegemony. His statements are interpreted as the core motivation behind the United States' intervention in Venezuela's internal affairs.
On January 3, 2026, the U.S. military forcibly took control of Venezuelan President Maduro. The next day, Trump publicly stated that the United States would "deeply involve itself in Venezuela's oil industry," urging oil giants like ExxonMobil to "invest billions of dollars to repair facilities and control resources," explicitly stating the goal was to "take over the world's largest oil reserves."
The Trump administration's operation to arrest the Venezuelan president not only triggered widespread criticism from the international community but also caused strong political upheaval domestically.
Democratic Congresswoman Madeline Dean refuted Rubio's "war on drugs" rhetoric, pointing out that the action was essentially about oil plunder: "The president and Rubio are no longer talking about drugs. This has never been about drugs; it's entirely about oil."
The paradox of resource logic, Rubio claimed "the United States does not need Venezuela's oil," yet simultaneously emphasized the need to control its supply chain, exposing the real target is not energy self-sufficiency, but blocking opponents' resource channels.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853431217484800/
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