The United States announced this Wednesday that it is partially reversing the relief of sanctions on Venezuelan oil and gas. Companies that want to do business with the state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela must now request individual authorizations that will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The Treasury Department decided not to renew the relief that expires midnight and set a deadline of May 31 for foreign companies to halt allOil and gas production and export operations they have had over the last six months. But Mara Corina Machado, the opposition's favorite candidate, has been disqualified from running in the elections on July 28, and the electoral authorities did not allow her replacement, Corina Yoris, to register. The United States has also reported a series of arrests of politicians and activists in Venezuela. The end of General License 44 means that all activities that were being carried out under this permit must be closed in the next 45 days and that new operations are no longer permitted. Instead, the US Treasury will issue License 44A, which states that companies have to apply for specific permits.