US Lifts Sanctions on Venezuela’s Interim Leader

April 1, 2026

(FILES) Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez holds a meeting with the Colombian government delegation at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on March 13, 2026. The United States lifted sanctions on Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez on April 1, 2026, who took power after Washington ousted her predecessor Nicolas Maduro in a military operation. Rodriguez's name was deleted from the US "Specially Designated Nationals List" according to a post on the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control website. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)

The United States has lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, following political changes in the South American nation after the removal of Nicolás Maduro.

Rodríguez’s name was removed from the US Treasury’s sanctions list, signalling a shift in relations between Washington and Venezuela.

Ties between both countries have improved since Maduro’s ousting, with Rodríguez reportedly aligning with policies pushed by Donald Trump, including opening Venezuela’s energy sector to American investment.

Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s deputy, had been sanctioned alongside senior officials such as former defence minister Vladimir Padrino López and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello for their roles in the former administration.

US Lifts Sanctions on Venezuela’s Interim Leader — (FILES) Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez smiles during a press conference at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on January 14, 2026. Rodriguez’s name was deleted from the US “Specially Designated Nationals List” according to a post on the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control website. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)

Since assuming office, she has taken steps to consolidate control, including dismissing Padrino López, while balancing pressure from Washington and support from allies within Venezuela.

In a further sign of warming relations, the US recently reopened its embassy in Caracas after years of closure, marking a renewed diplomatic engagement between the two countries.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during a US military operation in Caracas on January 3 and taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges, which they deny.

The operation, which Venezuelan authorities say resulted in around 100 deaths, has remained a source of controversy amid the country’s ongoing political transition.

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