Sawt Falasteen - US says to dictate Venezuela decisions and oil sales

Washington said it had also seized a Russian-linked oil tanker after pursuing it from Venezuela, stepping up Trump's assertion of US dominance over its neighborhood following Saturday's capture of Maduro.

Trump has said that the United States will "run" Venezuela, but it has no boots on the ground and appears to be relying on a naval blockade and the threat of further force to ensure the cooperation of interim president Delcy Rodriguez.

"We obviously have maximum leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela right now" following the US operation that captured Maduro on Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing.

"We're continuing to be in close coordination with the interim authorities, and their decisions are going to continue to be dictated by the United States of America."

US special forces snatched president Maduro and his wife from Caracas on Saturday in a lightning operation, and whisked them to New York to face trial on drug charges.

Interim president Rodriguez -- a long-time member of Maduro's inner circle as vice president and energy minister -- has vowed cooperation with the United States amid fears that Trump could pursue wider regime change.

But Rodriguez insisted on Tuesday that there was "no foreign agent" governing the South American country, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves.

Washington -- which has so far indicated it intends to stick with Rodriguez and sideline opposition figures, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado -- has meanwhile given few details about its plans.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted on Wednesday, after meeting lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have been critical about the post-Maduro planning, that the United States was "not just winging it."

Democratic congressman Shri Thanedar told AFP he was "very impressed" with the US military but criticized Trump's administration for not informing lawmakers about the operation.

- 'Immense opportunity' -

So far, the US plan relies heavily on what Trump said on Tuesday was an agreement for Venezuela to hand over between 30 and 50 million of barrels of oil to the United States for it to then sell.

Venezuela's state oil firm said on Wednesday that it was discussing oil sales with the United States for the "sale of volumes of oil" under existing commercial frameworks.

But US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said earlier Wednesday that Washington was looking at longer term control over Venezuela's oil.

"We're going to market the crude coming out of Venezuela, first this backed-up stored oil, and then indefinitely, going forward, we will sell the production that comes out of Venezuela," Wright said at a Goldman Sachs energy event.

Trump will on Friday meet executives from US oil companies, whom he has said will invest in Venezuela's crumbling facilities, despite no firm having yet made such pledges amid the turmoil in the country.

"It's just a meeting to discuss, obviously, the immense opportunity that is before these oil companies right now," Leavitt told reporters.

The White House added that sanctions on some parts of the Venezuela's oil sector would be waived to facilitate exports of Venezuela's extra-heavy crude.

Washington is meanwhile also relying on its naval blockade to stop Venezuela selling what the US says is sanctioned oil to allies Russia, China and Iran.

US forces on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the North Atlantic after pursuing it from off the coast of Venezuela. The tanker, formerly known as the Bella-1, in recent weeks switched its registration to Russia.

But Leavitt insisted the oil tanker had been "deemed stateless after flying a false flag."

Moscow condemned the operation.

S.AbuJamous--SF-PST