USAupdated 1h ago3 min read
United States Lifts Sanctions On Jorge Rodriguez, Venezuela National Assembly Chief
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US Treasury lifted sanctions on Jorge Rodríguez, Venezuela’s National Assembly president. Rodríguez is the brother of acting president Delcy Rodríguez.
OFAC delists Jorge Rodriguez
The United States Department of the Treasury lifted sanctions on Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly and brother of interim president Delcy Rodriguez, by removing his name from the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals blacklist. OFAC posted the delisting notice on its website on Wednesday, and the removal reversed sanctions that had been imposed during Donald Trump’s first administration. Jorge Rodriguez has held the position of National Assembly president since 2021, and the sources tie the sanctions lift to US-Venezuela energy pacts and other talks with Venezuela’s government.
The sources also connect the sanctions change to a broader diplomatic shift, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters that the next round of negotiations on Venezuela’s future was scheduled to begin on Wednesday. The sources describe the sanctions as part of a US effort to move from economic warfare to negotiations, after the Treasury previously lifted restrictions on Venezuela’s central bank and its state-owned national airline.
Caracas, Washington, and talks
The US action came as the Trump administration removed several entries listing Rodriguez’s name from the main US sanctions list, the Specially Designated Nationals list, which includes leaders and individuals subject to financial sanctions imposed by Washington. The sources say the Treasury did not provide a reason for the change, while they describe the broader context as following US military personnel entering Caracas in January and detaining former president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Delcy Rodriguez, described as in charge of the nation after Maduro’s detention, negotiated a pact with the Trump administration in which the United States would control a large portion of Venezuela’s oil sector.
The sources also say Delcy and Jorge Rodriguez were expected to amend Venezuelan law to allow more foreign companies to enter the country’s energy sector, and they link that expectation to a report by Reuters. The sources further describe the sanctions framework as one that, when applied, results in a total freeze on financial and real estate assets and a ban on holding checking accounts, investments, or other assets in the United States.
Oil access and political transition
The sources describe a deal between Caracas and Washington that gives the US access to 17 oil fields, and they place the sanctions lift alongside negotiations framed around Venezuela’s political transition. The Jerusalem Post says US President Donald Trump’s administration lifted sanctions on Jorge Rodriguez amid the deal for oilfield access, and it ties the legislature leadership to moves to modify oil legislation. RTBF reports that the name Jorge Rodriguez was simply removed from the list of individuals sanctioned by the Treasury Department, and it says the Treasury Department had not immediately responded when asked about the reasons for the removal.
“Rodríguez began on Wednesday another round of negotiations with a faction of the opposition.”
The sources also describe US plans announced in August to secure direct US access to a large share of Venezuela’s vast oil to refill the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The sources portray the next steps as political and legal, with the Folha de S.Paulo account saying Jorge Rodriguez began another round of negotiations with a faction of the opposition on Wednesday, seeking reforms before elections including changes to the main court and the Venezuelan electoral body.