Italy’s Eni confirmed on Sunday that United States authorities had informed the company it would no longer be permitted to receive oil from Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA as repayment for gas production.
Reuters reported on Saturday that the U.S. government had notified PDVSA’s foreign partners, including Eni, of its decision to revoke authorizations allowing them to export Venezuelan oil and its by-products.
“Eni continues its transparent engagement with US authorities on the matter to identify options for ensuring that non-sanctioned gas supplies, essential to the population, can be remunerated by PDVSA,” the Italian energy company said in a statement.
“Eni always operates in full compliance with the international sanctions framework,” it added.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has condemned the sanctions, calling them an “economic war.”
The companies that had received licenses and comfort letters from Washington include Spain’s Repsol, Italy’s Eni, France’s Maurel & Prom, India’s Reliance Industries, and U.S. Global Oil Terminals.
Most had already halted imports of Venezuelan oil after the U.S., under former President Donald Trump, imposed secondary tariffs this week on buyers of Venezuelan oil and gas, according to sources and vessel tracking data.
