President Donald Trump praised interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez on Wednesday, saying oil from the South American country “is beginning to flow” just two months after U.S. forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Trump praised Rodríguez, who was tapped by Venezuela’s ruling party following Maduro’s capture, as the country increased its oil exports last month. Under American supervision, Venezuela doubled its oil exports in February to a five-month high of 788,000 barrels per day, Bloomberg reported.

“Delcy Rodríguez, who is the President of Venezuela, is doing a great job, and working with U.S. Representatives very well. The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump made the comment while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met with the Venezuelan leader in Caracas on Wednesday. Representatives from around two dozen mining and mineral companies also joined Burgum and Rodríguez for the meeting, which focused on paving a way for “capital investment to flow” into Venezuela, Burgum said.

The Interior secretary also leads Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, which is tasked with cutting red tape and securing American energy independence. Burgum said on Wednesday that his goal to rejuvenate the American energy sector falls in line with the administration’s plan for Venezuela.

“When we are working together in can only mean two things, which is prosperity for the people of Venezuela and for the citizens of the United States, and it also brings peace and stability for the world,” Burgum said.

The American companies at the meeting “represent billions of dollars in investment and thousands of dollars in high-paying jobs,” Burgum added.

After the meeting, Rodríguez signaled that she would push to change Venezuela’s mining law to allow for more U.S. investment in the industry, the Associated Press reported. Venezuela’s commitment to cooperate with the United States shows a remarkable shift in relations since Trump authorized action to remove Maduro from power in Venezuela and bring him to the United States to stand trial on drug trafficking conspiracy charges.

After Trump imposed a complete naval blockade of Venezuela and authorized the U.S. military operation to nab Maduro, the Trump administration began overseeing Venezuela’s state-run oil industry. The United States is especially benefiting from Venezuela’s recent bump in oil output, with American oil refiners, such as Chevron, bringing in their biggest oil hauls from Venezuela in seven years, according to Bloomberg.

Part of the Trump administration’s strategy for overseeing Venezuelan oil sales is to use the sales as “leverage” to push the Venezuelan government toward lasting “change,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in January.

“If we control the flow of oil, the sales of that oil, and the flow of the cash that comes from those sales, we have large leverage,” he said.

The French government has officially authorized the United States to utilize its strategic air bases across the Middle East and East Africa, the French military reportedly said on Thursday.

The move, described by defense officials as a “temporary authorization,” transforms French installations into vital “safe harbors” for American strike, refueling, and reconnaissance operations.

The shift in French policy follows a direct provocation on Sunday, when an Iranian drone struck a hangar at the Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. That attack appears to have been the catalyst for Paris to “unleash” American access to its most sensitive regional hubs.

The authorization centers on three critical locations that provide the United States with a geographic advantage it previously lacked due to restrictions in other Gulf states:

Al-Dhafra Air Base (UAE): Now the central nerve center for French-U.S. integration, the base is hosting a combined force of French Rafale jets alongside American F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters and KC-135 Stratotankers. This allows the United States to maintain a persistent stealth presence over the Persian Gulf. Prince Hasan Air Base (Jordan): Known as “H5,” this French-operated facility is now staging U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles—recently relocated from RAF Lakenheath—and MQ-9 Reaper. These assets are tasked with patrolling the volatile Syrian-Iraqi border to intercept proxy movements. Base Aérienne 188 (Djibouti): In the Horn of Africa, France has granted U.S. EA-18G Growlers access to the French side of the runway. These specialized electronic warfare aircraft are providing a critical “digital shield” for Red Sea shipping lanes currently targeted by regional insurgents.

The Pentagon is leveraging these French facilities to ratchet up specific capabilities that traditional carrier-based wings struggle to sustain during prolonged conflict. By utilizing land-based French runways, the United States can deploy heavier ordnance and maintain longer times for electronic jamming and intelligence gathering.

As French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot indicated to BFMTV, this is not merely a logistical arrangement but a “forward deterrence” mandate. With French Rafales now flying joint air-security sorties with American F-35s, the alliance has signaled a unified front against Iranian aggression, ensuring that the coalition’s “lethal prowess” remains uninhibited by regional diplomatic friction.