Petróleos de Venezuela said the talks were "within the framework of the commercial relations that exist between both countries."

Oil producer Chevron is in talks with the U.S. government to expand a key license to operate in Venezuela so it can increase crude exports to its own refineries and sell to other buyers, four sources close to the negotiations said on Wednesday.

The Trump administration said it had an agreement with Venezuela’s government, but the country’s state-owned oil company said negotiations were underway.

The U.S. carried out operations Wednesday to seize two Venezuela-linked tankers, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. has "tremendous leverage" over the country.

The US has seized an oil tanker linked to Venezuela after tracking it across the Atlantic, according to a social media post from US European Command.

Venezuela’s oil industry has been in the spotlight since President Donald Trump captured the country’s President Nicolas Maduro.

US oil companies want “serious guarantees” from Washington before they make splashy investments in Venezuela as President Donald Trump urges them to back his bid to reshape energy markets.

Oil prices gained slightly on Thursday, rebounding from two days of declines, as a larger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories provided some impetus for investors to buy futures while they monitor developments in Venezuela.