Trump allows US companies to resell Venezuelan oil to Cuba's private sector

Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald on Feb 25, 2026

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Venezuelan oil will soon start flowing to Cuba again. Just not to the Cuban government.

The Trump administration is authorizing American companies to resell Venezuelan oil to Cuba’s private sector at a time the administration is blocking oil supplies from Venezuela to the Cuban government.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control published new guidance on Wednesday, telling U.S. companies that it would view favorably applications for licenses seeking authorization for the resale of Venezuelan-origin oil for use in Cuba.

“This favorable licensing policy is directed towards transactions that support the Cuban people, including the Cuban private sector (e.g., exports for commercial and humanitarian use in Cuba),” the office said.

The announcement expands guidance issued by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, authorizing oil exports to Cuba for “private sector economic activities and those sold directly to individuals for personal or family use,” without the need for government authorization.

Both Treasury and Commerce have said companies cannot sell the oil to the Cuban government or the military. They also can’t sell it for the benefit of hotels managed by the Cuban military that are listed as banned properties under State Department sanctions.

While exports of U.S. oil and gas to private businesses in Cuba do not require a license, the resale of Venezuelan oil still does.

But the new policy creates a paradox: while the Trump administration has blocked the shipments of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, worsening an energy and humanitarian crisis on the island, it has opened the doors to oil exports to the private sector.