The United States has lifted sanctions on Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to a notice published Wednesday by the Office of Foreign Assets Control under the Treasury Department. The decision follows the January 3 U.S. military operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who are now in New York facing drug trafficking charges and have pleaded not guilty. Rodríguez, who has been serving as acting president under a 90-day mandate from Venezuela's high court, is now free to engage more openly with U.S. businesses and investors. She welcomed the move in a statement on her Telegram channel, calling it a step toward normalizing relations with the U.S. and expressing hope that broader sanctions on Venezuela would also be lifted to enable bilateral cooperation.
Rodríguez's rise follows years of U.S. sanctions against her and her family. In September 2018, she and her brother Jorge Rodríguez were sanctioned for their roles in supporting Maduro's authoritarian rule, with the Treasury accusing Maduro of installing them in senior government positions to consolidate power. Since Maduro's removal, Rodríguez has led efforts to re-engage with the Trump administration, promote Venezuela's oil sector to global investors, and open state industries to private capital and international arbitration. The U.S. has also eased restrictions on Venezuela's oil industry, allowing its state-owned company PDVSA to sell oil directly to American firms and on global markets—a significant reversal from previous policy.
Venezuela's high court, loyal to the ruling party, declared Maduro's absence temporary, allowing Rodríguez to assume power without triggering an immediate election. Her initial 90-day term ends Friday, and an extension up to six months could be approved by the National Assembly, which is led by her brother.
When Delcy Rodríguez praises Trump's decision as a move toward normalization, she is not signaling democratic reform but a strategic recalibration of authoritarian survival. The U.S. is now dealing with a sanctioned official it once condemned, just months after removing her predecessor by force—proving that geopolitical convenience trumps consistency in foreign policy. If Rodríguez secures a six-month extension, it will be not because of democratic legitimacy, but because the machinery of Maduro's rule remains intact, court-approved, and now partially U.S.-enabled.
