U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed the Trump administration’s priorities for Venezuela following the January 3, 2026, capture of President Nicolás Maduro. In a recent statement, Rubio said, “The first steps are securing what's in the national interest of the United States and also beneficial to the people of Venezuela... No more drug trafficking. No more Iran/Hezbollah presence there. No more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries.”

Rubio framed the post-Maduro strategy around multiple objectives. Key among them is curbing narcotics operations emanating from Venezuelan territory and eliminating the influence of Iranian and Hezbollah operatives in the region. The Secretary emphasized that U.S. actions aim to stabilize Venezuela while preventing hostile actors from leveraging the country’s resources.

A critical component of the policy involves controlling Venezuela’s oil industry to prevent revenue from funding adversaries such as Russia and China. According to Rubio, the administration has implemented an oil “quarantine” to pressure interim leaders into aligning the nation’s economic assets with U.S. interests, thereby ensuring both hemispheric security and economic leverage.

The Secretary’s remarks underscore a broader strategic approach: assertive enforcement of national security, regional stabilization, and safeguarding resources critical to U.S. energy and economic interests. Rubio presented these measures as both protective of American citizens and supportive of the Venezuelan populace, signaling that the Trump administration intends to use decisive tools to secure long-term stability and prevent external adversaries from gaining a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.