US intelligence official visits Venezuela amid bilateral contacts

The U.S. assistant secretary of defense for intelligence and security, Brad Hansell, made an unannounced visit to Venezuela last Thursday, September 17, 2026. According to the portal AlbertoNews, citing sources of CBS News journalist Jennifer Jacobs, the senior Pentagon official held meetings with various Venezuelan leaders during his stay in the country.

The move comes amid discreet but ongoing bilateral contacts between Washington and Caracas. Although details of the agenda have not been made public, such meetings typically address critical issues of security, governance and, most prominently, the easing of sanctions weighing on the local economy.

Relief from these restrictions is a key issue for Venezuela's productive sector. According to reports published by El Nacional, the Venezuelan Mining Chamber (Camiven) recently described as insufficient the issuance of licenses by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to achieve a genuine revival of the national mining sector.

From the perspective of business associations, a deep legal restructuring is required to provide a solid regulatory framework that protects foreign investment. The insufficiency of current licenses limits the inflow of fresh capital, an indispensable element for recovering strategic industries such as mining and hydrocarbons.

The unexpected visit suggests that high-level conversations remain active. It will be necessary to monitor whether these political and security rapprochements lead to an expansion of economic licenses or to changes in the conditions demanded by Washington for easing sanctions.