Industry insiders say US oil firms want to ‘avoid getting screwed’ and will proceed with extreme caution in region

• Analysis: Trump’s focus on Venezuelan oil reinforces claim action was never about ‘war on drugs’

Industry experts have expressed skepticism over Donald Trump’s bullish prediction that US big oil firms will rapidly invest tens of billions of dollars to fix Venezuelan infrastructure and ramp up production after the rendition of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

Without an “iron-clad guarantee” that the US federal government will fully reimburse them for the cost of rebuilding the country’s oil market, analysts expect global energy giants to proceed with extreme caution.