A permit issued by the United States government allowing energy giant Chevron Corp. to pump and export Venezuelan oil will be terminated this week.

María Corina Machado, the most prominent figure in the country’s opposition movement, argued the measures are needed to stop government repression.

Since it first imposed sanctions on Venezuela's energy sector in 2019, the United States has granted individual licenses to some oil companies that allow them to export the South American country's oil to specific destinations.