The U.S. and Venezuela "have agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations," the State Department announced Thursday. Why it matters: The historic deal with a former U.S. foe comes as President Trump pushes to apply his actions in Caracas that led to the capture of former leader Nicols Maduro to Iran, telling Axios Thursday that he must be involved in picking a successor to assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Trump administration officials visited Venezuela this week, where Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodrguez to discuss oil and mineral opportunities, and help shepherd a multimillion-dollar gold deal.