United States Removes Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez from Sanctions List

The United States Treasury Department removed Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, from its Specially Designated Nationals list on April 1, 2026, in the latest sign of rapidly warming ties between Washington and Caracas. The Treasury's OFAC updated its website to reflect the removal of two registrations in Rodríguez's name, both dating to 2018, when she was first placed on the list during Donald Trump's first term in office. The delisting does not alter the broader framework of sanctions still in force against Venezuela as a country, but it theoretically allows Rodríguez to operate without previous constraints on assets and transactions under US jurisdiction. The move came almost three months after a US military operation on January 3, 2026, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, in which elite US forces captured then-president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas. Rodríguez, who had served as Maduro's vice president, was sworn in as acting president on January 5, 2026, and has since pursued a conciliatory approach toward the Trump administration.

Rodríguez hails Trump's move, calls for more relief Rodríguez responded to the delisting with a post on social media platform X, framing the decision as a diplomatic milestone. „President Trump's decision is a significant step in the right direction to normalize and strengthen relations between our countries.” — Delcy Rodríguez via Al Jazeera Online She added that she trusted the progress would ultimately lead to the lifting of additional active sanctions on Venezuela. The original 2018 sanctions had frozen any assets she may have held in the United States and prohibited any US-based entity from doing business with her. At the time, OFAC accused Rodríguez of being among government leaders "involved in the destruction of democracy in Venezuela" and "enriching themselves at the expense of the Venezuelan people," according to Al Jazeera. Since taking office, Rodríguez has struck what observers described as a careful balance between sparse criticism of Maduro's capture and active engagement with Washington. She signed into law in January a piece of legislation designed to open Venezuela's vast oil reserves to private investment, and a similar bill targeting the mining sector received an initial vote in March.

Embassy reopens, diplomatic ties restored after seven years The sanctions removal is the latest in a sequence of diplomatic steps that have transformed US-Venezuela relations since January 2026. The United States and Venezuela restored diplomatic and consular relations in March 2026, following visits by Trump administration officials to Caracas. The US embassy in Caracas officially resumed operations on March 30, 2026, seven years after its closure. Washington also recently permitted extensive business dealings with the state oil company PdVSA and allowed trade in Venezuelan gold, moves driven in part by rising energy prices and geopolitical considerations, according to multiple reports. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the trajectory of events in an interview with Fox News on April 1. „What has been achieved in Venezuela in just three months is, at the very least, extraordinary.” — Marco Rubio via Notícias ao Minuto Rubio also called for patience, stressing that the transition process must conclude with free and fair elections. Trump himself had posted on social media that Rodríguez "is doing a great job and collaborating very well with US representatives," adding that oil was "starting to flow."

Maduro awaits trial as critics question Venezuela's direction Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores remain in US custody, currently held in Brooklyn, New York, awaiting trial on charges of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons possession. Legal experts have widely condemned the January military operation as illegal under international law, and Rodríguez herself has called for Maduro and Flores to be returned to Venezuela, according to Al Jazeera. Despite her public criticism of the capture, Rodríguez has functioned as the primary contact for the US government, particularly in negotiations over the administration of Venezuela's oil reserves. Several US cabinet members have already met with Rodríguez in Venezuela, according to German broadcaster N-tv. Critics have questioned the circumstances under which economic and legislative reforms have advanced, noting that Trump pledged to "run" Venezuela and warned after Maduro's capture that a second wave of military action could follow if Rodríguez did not comply with his demands. The Department of State described the bilateral collaboration as aimed at "helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a gradual process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition toward a democratically elected government."

US-Venezuela Relations: Key Events Since January 2026: — ; — ; — ; — ; —

Venezuela has been subject to escalating US sanctions since 2017, when the Trump administration first began targeting officials it accused of undermining democracy. OFAC placed Rodríguez on the SDN list in September 2018, during Trump's first term, alongside other senior Venezuelan government figures. A sweeping embargo on Venezuelan oil was imposed in 2019. The US closed its embassy in Caracas in 2019 amid the deterioration of bilateral relations during the political standoff between Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaidó, whom Washington recognized as the country's legitimate president at the time.