Reliance Industries, operator of the world's largest refining complex, has stated it will consider purchasing Venezuelan oil, provided it is permitted for sale to non-U.S. buyers. This statement comes in the wake of a deal between Caracas and Washington to export up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude to the United States, following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3rd.. Reliance had previously stopped importing Venezuelan oil in March 2026 after the United States announced a 25% tariff on nations buying crude from the South American nation. The conglomerate received its last parcel of Venezuelan oil in May. The company's two refineries in western Gujarat state have a processing capacity of about 1.4 million barrels per day and are complex enough to handle cheaper, heavier crudes like Venezuela's Merey. The U.S. has vowed to control Venezuelan oil sales indefinitely, with proceeds to be managed by a U.S.-supervised trustee. Venezuela possesses the world's largest oil reserves, but its production has been hampered by decades of sanctions, mismanagement, and underinvestment, resulting in a current output of less than 1 million barrels per day. The U.S. has historically been a major buyer of Venezuelan oil prior to the 2019 embargo. The potential for Reliance to resume imports could offer India a politically acceptable diversification option amid existing pressures on its Russian oil imports.