US will not govern Venezuela, will use oil ‘quarantine’ as leverage, Rubio walks back Trump’s remark

US won’t govern Venezuela, oil ‘quarantine’ to remain as leverage, Rubio says

• US to enforce oil quarantine post-Maduro, won't govern Venezuela
• Rubio clarifies Trump's remarks, stressing leverage not direct US control
• Venezuela faces uncertainty after US-led ouster of Maduro

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington does not intend to take on a day-to-day governing role in Venezuela, seeking to clarify President Donald Trump’s remarks that the United States would be “running” the country following the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Appearing on multiple television talk shows, Rubio said US involvement would largely be limited to enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on Venezuela, aimed at pressuring the country’s leadership to change its policies without direct American control.

The comments came a day after Trump repeatedly told reporters that the US would “run” Venezuela after Maduro was ousted, sparking concerns in Washington about the possibility of a prolonged foreign intervention or a new nation-building effort.

Rubio framed Trump’s remarks as a reference to leverage rather than governance, stressing that the US would continue enforcing restrictions on sanctioned oil tankers that were already in place before Maduro was removed from power early Saturday.

“And so that’s the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that,” Rubio said on CBS’ Face the Nation. “We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.”

According to Rubio, the blockade on sanctioned oil shipments remains a key source of pressure, noting that some tankers have already been seized as part of the enforcement effort.

“The blockade on sanctioned oil tankers – some of which have been seized by the U.S. – remains in place, and that’s a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela,” he said.

Trump’s remarks drew criticism from Democrats and unease within sections of his own Republican Party, including factions opposed to foreign interventions, with observers drawing parallels to past US nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rubio dismissed such concerns, arguing that Trump’s intent had been misunderstood by what he described as a foreign policy establishment overly focused on Middle Eastern conflicts.

“The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan,” Rubio said. “This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere.”

While Rubio did not rule out a US military presence, he said the current American “force posture” was sufficient to intercept drug shipments and enforce sanctions. He added that Washington would judge Venezuela’s new leadership based on its actions.

“We’re going to judge everything by what they do, and we’re going to see what they do,” he said.

A day earlier, Trump said, “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” adding that members of his national security team would oversee the process temporarily.

The White House declined to offer further clarification beyond Trump’s remarks.

Meanwhile, Venezuela remained largely quiet on Sunday following the US operation that removed Maduro. Businesses in Caracas were closed, traffic was sparse, and armed civilians and military personnel guarded key government sites. Residents described widespread uncertainty as the country adjusted to the sudden political upheaval.