The United States has lifted sanctions against Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez, the US Treasury Department said Wednesday.
Rodriguez assumed office after Washington deposed her predecessor Nicolas Maduro — with US forces conducting a raid on Caracas and seizing him on January 3.
Rodriguez’s name was removed from the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s “Specially Designated Nationals List,” the Treasury said. The move allows her to work more freely with US companies and investors.
She welcomed the decision in a statement on X, calling it “a significant step in the right direction to normalize and strengthen relations” between the US and Venezuela. Rodriguez said she trusts the progress will lead to lifting sanctions on Venezuela and enable an effective bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of both peoples.
Rodriguez had been Maduro’s vice president and was among several individuals in his inner circle sanctioned by the Treasury in 2018 during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Ties between Washington and Caracas have been improving since Maduro’s ouster. The US formally recognized Rodriguez as Venezuela’s leader in March. She has been navigating demands from Washington while responding to supporters at home and has complied with US calls for Venezuela to open up its energy industry to US companies.
Washington has removed sanctions on major Venezuelan industries. In March, the Treasury authorized the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) to sell Venezuelan oil directly to US companies and on international markets.
In a key development on Monday, the US State Department announced the formal reopening of its embassy in Caracas, which had been closed for seven years.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru