The US Treasury Department said Wednesday it has lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez.
Rodriguez assumed office after Washington deposed her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, following a US raid on Caracas and his seizure on January 3. Her name was removed from the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals List, the Treasury said, a change that allows her to engage more easily with US companies and investors.
She welcomed the decision on X, calling it “a significant step in the right direction to normalize and strengthen relations” between the United States and Venezuela. Rodriguez said she hopes the move will lead to broader sanctions relief and to an effective bilateral cooperation agenda that benefits both countries.
Rodriguez, who had been Maduro’s vice president, was among several associates sanctioned by the Treasury in 2018 during Donald Trump’s administration. Relations between Washington and Caracas have improved since Maduro’s ouster: the US formally recognized Rodriguez as Venezuela’s leader in March, and Venezuelan authorities have moved to meet US requests to open the energy sector to American firms.
Washington has also eased restrictions on key Venezuelan industries. In March the Treasury authorized state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) to sell oil directly to US companies and on international markets. On Monday the State Department announced the formal reopening of the US embassy in Caracas after a seven-year closure.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru