The U.S. Wants the Oil From These 17 Venezuelan Fields

By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Julie Turkewitz and Leanne Abraham

5 September 2026 at 17:39

A private oil company has struck a deal with the Trump administration to develop 17 areas in Venezuela, an effort that experts say will take years and billions of dollars.

Chevron Expansion in Venezuela Extends U.S. Influence Over Oil Riches

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott

2 September 2026 at 17:20

The U.S. energy giant, which stayed in the country after other Western companies left, will invest $7 billion in the country to more than double its production there.

Oil infrastructure in Cabimas, Venezuela. Chevron’s expansion is separate from President Trump’s deal for control of oil reserves in the country.

Trump’s Venezuelan Oil Deal Relies on a Powerful and Divisive Partner

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Anatoly Kurmanaev and Edward Wong

31 August 2026 at 15:59

The administration will work with a private Venezuelan oil company that has close ties to the country’s government.

Venezuela is believed to have one of the world’s largest reserves of oil but it produces very little oil because of mismanagement, corruption and U.S. sanctions.

Trump Says U.S. Struck Deal for Control of More Than 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuela’s Oil

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Simon Romero and Edward Wong

30 August 2026 at 16:08

The president said an agreement between the countries covered more than 65 billion barrels of reserves. A U.S. official said it would involve a partnership with a private company.

An oil refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021. Venezuela’s president, Delcy Rodríguez, said a U.S. oil deal would have a “significant impact on our nation’s revival.”

These Tanks Can Hold 90 Million Barrels of Oil. They Have Just 22 Million.

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Ruth Fremson and Leanne Abraham

30 August 2026 at 16:04

Oil companies and governments are consuming their once vast stockpiles as Iran and the United States continue to struggle for control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Chevron Is in Talks to Expand in Venezuela, a Potential Win for Trump

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Simon Romero · Anatoly Kurmanaev and Lisa Friedman

28 August 2026 at 22:30

President Trump’s administration has been pushing U.S. companies like Chevron to invest more in Venezuela’s oil industry.

A Chevron-chartered oil tanker was anchored near Maracaibo, Venezuela, in February. Chevron is the only U.S. oil company with a major footprint in the country.

Iran War Drives Oil Profits to Highest Levels in Years

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott

31 July 2026 at 17:09

The world’s biggest oil companies are benefiting from the high commodity prices that have been a drag on the rest of the economy.

An Exxon Mobil refinery in Baytown, Texas. The war with Iran has been a boon for many oil producers.

The Iran War Just Put Another Key Oil Route at Risk

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Paul Abowd · Nikolay Nikolov · Nour Idriss · Stephanie Swart · Rafaela Balster · Lauren Pruitt · Alexandra Ostasiewicz · Samuel Granados and Leanne Abraham

28 July 2026 at 20:24

Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war have led Saudi Arabia to rely on an alternative route for exporting oil. Our reporter Rebecca F. Elliott explains how that route is now threatened by the Houthis, a Yemeni militia supported by Iran.

Why Restarting a Nuclear Power Plant Can Be Much Harder Than Expected

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott and Jamie Kelter Davis

28 July 2026 at 18:20

The first U.S. attempt at reopening a shuttered reactor has been held back by run-down equipment and a lack of planning.

Palisades opened in 1971 and was part of an early wave of reactors built in the United States.

See How Houthis Put the Red Sea at Risk as an Alternative Oil Route

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Lazaro Gamio and Samuel Granados

22 July 2026 at 13:17

Saudi Arabia has diverted huge amounts of oil to the Red Sea since the Iran war began, but now the Iranian-backed Houthi militants say that they intend to block that route.

Truth Social Parent to Sell Faster Access to Trump’s Posts

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott

17 July 2026 at 01:28

The product, Truth API, could give Wall Street trading firms an edge in seeing President Trump’s posts on the social media platform he partly owns.

A Truth Social booth at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington this month.

Will Oil Prices Rise as the US-Iran Truce Frays? The Answer Lies With China.

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott and Lisa Friedman

13 July 2026 at 19:00

For decades, OPEC influenced the market by how much oil it produced. But China, the largest importer, is demonstrating its remarkable power over prices.

A tanker at a crude oil terminal in Qingdao, China. Typically the world’s largest oil importer, China slashed purchases this spring.

Oil Market Calm Shattered by Fresh Hostilities Between US and Iran

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott and Lisa Friedman

8 July 2026 at 19:45

Oil prices are likely to remain volatile as long as the United States and Iran are unable to resolve the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil Prices Return to Prewar Levels After Four Months

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Gregory Schmidt · Rebecca F. Elliott and Lisa Friedman

26 June 2026 at 22:23

The cost of crude has become a real-time barometer of the Iran war’s toll on the global economy.

U.S. Oil Is Skipping the Chance to Grab Market Share From the Gulf

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott

22 June 2026 at 15:14

U.S. oil production is expected to grow only modestly next year as companies hesitate to spend more in an uncertain market.

Smaller U.S. oil producers are starting to drill more wells, but big companies like Exxon Mobil and Chevron have said they are not changing their plans as a result of the war with Iran.

U.S. Will Waive Oil Sanctions That Have Long Crimped Iran

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott

17 June 2026 at 21:19

The preliminary U.S.-Iran deal temporarily waives restrictions that have limited the country’s oil sales and how much money it has been able to make from those exports.