(The Telegraph)- A former executive at the American oil giant Chevron advised the CIA ahead of the US’s capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro.
Ali Moshiri, who was once responsible for Chevron’s oil production in the country, passed information to the agency, which was later included in a secret assessment given to Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Iranian-born executive told the CIA officials that it would be “very tough” for Venezuela’s democratic opposition leader to take control if Mr Maduro was ousted.
María Corina Machado did not have the support of the country’s security services or control of its oil infrastructure, Mr Moshiri recalled advising the agency in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
He recommended instead sticking with Mr Maduro’s deputy and economic adviser, Delcy Rodríguez. The option was later presented to Mr Trump in a secret CIA assessment, according to the Journal.
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Mr Maduro and his wife were captured in Caracas by US forces in an overnight operation in early January and transported to New York, where they are facing drug trafficking charges.
Mr Trump, shortly after, echoed the oil executive’s views on Ms Machado’s prospects of leading the country.
It would be “very tough” for her to take over, he said. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”
Despite the political turmoil in Venezuela over recent years, Chevron remained invested in the country.
Now, it is poised to play a key role in developing the country’s oil reserves and has said it aims to increase its Venezuelan oil production by up to 50 per cent.
Venezuela is “taking steps in a positive direction,” the company’s CEO Mike Wirth told CNBC in late January, which “will encourage investment, not only from a company like ours, but from others that I think are also considering the opportunities there.”
Chevron told the Journal in a statement that, “between spring of 2025 and the removal of Maduro, Chevron did not authorize anyone working for, or on behalf of, the company to engage with the CIA related to Venezuela’s leadership, including assessments of government officials or opposition leaders.”
Mr Moshiri left the company in 2017 and ended a consulting relationship with Chevron in 2024.
Since Mr Maduro’s capture, Chevron has helped with US energy secretary Chris Wright’s visit to the country last month.
The company escorted Mr Wright, provided personal protective equipment to the delegation and transported the accompanying press in armored vehicles, WSJ reported.
The American flag was raised above the US embassy in Venezuela for the first time in seven years on Saturday.
“A new era has begun for relations between the United States and Venezuela,” the chargé d’affaires for the US Embassy in Venezuela, Laura Dogu, wrote in a statement on X.
