In private conversations with senior officials and aides, President Donald J. Trump has discussed Venezuela’s vast oil reserves—estimated at more than 300 billion barrels, the largest in the world. Trump reportedly received an offer from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro several weeks ago, proposing to grant the United States access to much of those reserves without the need for military action. Despite this, Trump is said to have halted those talks and suspended further negotiations with Caracas. However, on Friday, a senior administration official speaking anonymously to The New York Times said the discussions are “not entirely dead” — and suggested that the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), its carrier strike group, and other U.S. military movements in the Southern Caribbean are intended to increase pressure on President Maduro.