The United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend and its pledge to revive the country’s oil sector are unlikely to significantly affect crude-exporting Middle Eastern economies in the short term, analysts told Al-Monitor.
Oil prices inched up on Monday as global oversupply concerns outweighed disruption fears over the upheaval in Venezuela. Brent futures were up about 1.60% at 12:46 p.m. Eastern Time, trading at $61.67, while WTI futures rose 1.57% to around $58.22.
“Oil has held up quite well today, with the market appearing to discount both short-term supply disruptions and the difficulty of ramping up Venezuelan production given large investment requirements and long timelines,” said Carla Slim, Standard Chartered’s chief economist for the Middle East and Pakistan. She added that Middle Eastern economies are likely to see little indirect impact on oil prices or supply, though geopolitical spillovers remain a risk.
The muted market reaction comes after US President Donald Trump said American forces had launched airstrikes on Saturday at several sites in Venezuela, including Caracas, and captured Maduro, who was transported to New York with his wife to face charges including narcoterrorism. Trump said the United States would take control of Venezuela, including its oil fields, until a political transition is possible, though he provided few details.
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