Trinidad and Tobago gets US clearance to negotiate Venezuela gas deal

# Trinidad and Tobago gets US clearance to negotiate Venezuela gas deal

*Event date: 2025-10-09*

The United States has granted Trinidad and Tobago permission to negotiate a gas deal with Venezuela, opening a narrow path for talks on a project that the Caribbean nation sees as important to its energy future.

The Associated Press reported that the Treasury Department issued an Office of Foreign Assets Control license allowing the parties to engage in a transaction that would otherwise be barred by sanctions. Trinidad and Tobago’s attorney general, John Jeremie, said the country now has six months to negotiate within parameters set by Washington.

The deal matters because Trinidad and Tobago is seeking to boost gas production at a time when government finances are under strain. AP said officials and experts view the project as vital to the country’s energy security and future revenue. The gas field at issue lies in Venezuelan waters, which is why a sanctions waiver was necessary before negotiations could proceed.

Jeremie said the license allows initial talks rather than full project development. That distinction is important. The permission does not amount to a green light for production, but it does reopen a process that had been disrupted when a prior license was revoked in April. AP reported that an earlier license granted in October 2023 had been withdrawn, creating a setback for the project and increasing pressure on Port of Spain to find another route forward.

The new approval followed a Sept. 30 meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister. The State Department said Rubio outlined support for the gas deal and steps to make sure it would not significantly benefit the Maduro government. That framing shows how Washington is trying to balance energy cooperation with its sanctions policy toward Venezuela.

For Trinidad and Tobago, the license offers a chance to revive a project that could support economic stability and future investment. Jeremie told reporters that there are commercial targets that must be hit and that they are “not difficult” to meet, according to AP. He declined to provide further detail, including the terms of the agreement or whether talks with Venezuela had already begun.

The broader significance is that the U.S. has created a conditional path for a small Caribbean state to pursue an energy project tied to a sanctioned neighbor. That reflects both the strategic importance of the gas field and the political sensitivity of any deal involving Caracas.

If the negotiations succeed, the project could become a significant source of revenue for Trinidad and Tobago. If they fail, the country may again face the same problem it has dealt with for years: needing new energy supplies and investment while navigating the limits imposed by U.S. policy on Venezuela.