Iran Press/ America: A delegation led by US President Joe Biden's chief negotiator ended a visit to Venezuela on Thursday after failing to secure the release of any of the Americans detained there, a State Department spokesperson told CNN.
According to the report, US Special President Envoy for "Hostage Affairs" Roger Carstens, along with US Ambassador to Venezuela James Story, met with detained Americans in the capital city of Caracas and discussed with senior Venezuelan government officials the importance of ensuring that they receive appropriate care where needed.
Carstens and Story were primarily focused on the case of "Matthew Heath," a US Marine veteran hospitalized following what his family said was a suicide attempt last week after nearly two years of imprisonment.
Heath is one of at least eight Americans known to be held in Venezuela, including five executives of Citgo Petroleum, collectively called the "CITGO 6", a US-based unit of Venezuela's state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela.
Heath was arrested in 2020 on terrorism charges, which he denied. US officials said Heath was not sent by Washington and accused Venezuela of holding him on trumped-up charges.
However, the visit by Carstens and Ambassador Jimmy Story ended Thursday without any of the Americans whom the US considers wrongfully detained being able to return home.
Though the visit did not lead to releases, it was the latest sign of tenuous re-engagement after years of hostilities between the United States and OPEC member Venezuela amid Russia's conflict against Ukraine that has hit global oil supplies.
Talks this week did not include Venezuela's oil sector, under US sanctions since 2019, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed Carstens and Story's departure.
"The trip focused on discussions about the welfare and safety of wrongfully detained US nationals in Venezuela and to press for their release," the spokesperson said, adding Carstens saw detainees to "assess their well-being."
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