Overview
- The U.S. Treasury removed Jorge Rodríguez from the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals list, restoring his ability to use U.S. financial services and to travel to the United States.
- The Treasury did not give a public reason for the delisting, which follows an April removal of interim president Delcy Rodríguez from the same sanctions list.
- Officials have linked recent delistings to a broader U.S.–Venezuela rapprochement that includes an August agreement giving U.S. actors majority control of a large tranche of Venezuelan crude and other commercial pacts.
- Venezuelan legislation expected from the Rodríguez-led assembly would open the energy and mining sectors to more foreign firms, a change that investors welcome and opposition critics say risks sidelining democracy and accountability.
- The delisting follows the January U.S. detention of Nicolás Maduro and fits a timeline of negotiations with multilateral lenders and private firms that could reshape Venezuela’s economy and everyday life by restoring access to foreign capital and trade.