The Trump administration lifted sanctions on Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s acting president
The Trump administration has lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez, according to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, as the US seeks to rebuild relations with the Venezuelan government.
The recall comes three months after US forces arrested Rodriguez’s predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife brave special forces raid. Both have been extradited to New York to face drug trafficking charges and have pleaded not guilty.
The removal of Rodriguez’s name from the Specially Designated Nationals list will allow him to access certain restricted assets and deal with US-based businesses. It is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to normalize relations with Venezuela, with which the US has not had formal relations since 2019.
Last month, the US officially recognized Rodriguez as the leader of Venezuela and began taking steps to reopen the US Embassy in Caracas. Mr. Trump praised Rodriguez, saying last month that he was “doing a great job” and “working very well with the American representatives.”
Since Maduro was ousted from power, the administration has sought to encourage US investment in Venezuela’s oil sector, easing sanctions so US oil companies can use infrastructure and production. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also led delegations to Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest oil reserves.
A Trump administration official said the lifting of sanctions “demonstrates our support for constructive US-Venezuela relations and increased private sector engagement that can help advance Venezuela’s economic recovery and democratic transition.”
Another administration official told CBS News that the move “reflects our decision to cooperate with the interim administration led by Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela.”
Rodriguez acknowledged the removal of the sanctions in a post on his Telegram page.
“We appreciate the decision of President Donald Trump as a step to normalize and strengthen the relationship between our countries,” he wrote. “We hope that this progress will allow the current sanctions against our country to be lifted, allowing us to build and ensure a bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of our people.”
Rodriguez and others in Maduro’s government were sanctioned by the US in 2018, part of a diplomatic crisis after Maduro’s re-election that year, when the US and several other countries it is considered indirect. At the time, the Finance Ministry said Maduro made Rodriguez vice president to “help him maintain power and strengthen his regime.”
In February, one of Venezuela’s opposition leaders, Maria Corina Machado, thanked the Trump administration for removing Maduro from power – but said Rodriguez could not be trusted because of his ties to Maduro.
In interview no Face National president Margaret Brennan in Februaryhe said, “everything Delcy Rodríguez is doing right now is because he is obeying the instructions he received from the United States.”
