ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - March 1, 2025

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - March 1, 2025

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• U.S. Plans to Cancel Oil Deal That Allowed Venezuelan Exports
• U.S., Russia Hold Second Round of Talks
• Turkey’s PKK Leader Calls for the Group’s Dissolution

U.S. Plans to Cancel Oil Deal That Allowed Venezuelan Exports

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will revoke a license that allowed Venezuela to export some of its oil to the U.S. despite sanctions. The agreement started in February 2022 and allowed U.S. company Chevron to operate joint ventures with Venezuela's state-controlled oil company PDVSA. The deal contained measures that Venezuela would work to permit free elections while also limiting global oil price increases triggered by the start of Russia's war in Ukraine. While the added Venezuelan oil helped lower global oil prices, President Nicolas Maduro did not proceed with free elections in late 2024. The Chevron agreement accounts for about one-quarter of Venezuela's one million barrels a day of oil production.

U.S., Russia Hold Second Round of Talks

A second round of discussions between Russian and U.S. officials has occurred in Istanbul about normalizing the operations of their respective embassies. This meeting comes after the two sides agreed to renew diplomatic relations during talks in Saudi Arabia on February 18, 2025.

Turkey’s PKK Leader Calls for the Group’s Dissolution

The leader of Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group waging a 40-year insurgency against the government, has called for the group’s disbandment and an end to the conflict. The leader, Abdullah Ocalan, likely made the announcement only after securing concessions from Ankara, though the terms of their agreement are unclear for now.