The United States on Thursday eased sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry after Venezuelan lawmakers passed reforms paving the way for US companies to return – a key goal of President Donald Trump's intervention in the country.
Within an hour of lawmakers in Caracas voting to open the oil industry to private investment, the US Treasury Department issued a general licence allowing US companies to trade with state oil firm PDVSA. The activities authorised include the refining of oil, the licence said.
Addressing oil industry workers, Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez hailed the reform as a "historical leap."
"We are taking historic steps," Rodríguez said after a call with Trump, who also announced the reopening of Venezuela's airspace.
Trump pressured Caracas to open up its oil fields to US investors after overthrowing socialist leader Nicolás Maduro in a deadly US raid on January 3.
The US president backed Maduro's d
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