U.S. Warns Venezuela’s Cabello After Maduro Seizure, Backs Delcy Rodríguez as Interim Partner

Overview

• U.S. officials told Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello he could be targeted like Nicolás Maduro if he refuses to cooperate with interim leader Delcy Rodríguez or disrupts public order.
• Despite Cabello’s hardline record, Washington is seeking his short-term cooperation while weighing options to sideline him without provoking violence by armed colectivos.
• The administration regards Rodríguez as the most viable caretaker for now, tying support to opening the oil sector to U.S. firms, tougher action against narcotics, expulsion of Cuban security operatives, and an end to work with Iran.
• U.S. leverage may include financial pressure linked to Rodríguez’s purported holdings in Qatar, though a Qatari official said she has no accounts or assets there.
• The Justice Department cast Maduro’s capture as an ongoing law-enforcement operation, as U.S. officials court Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López to forestall a power vacuum given his control of the armed forces.