Sanctions removed from the National Assembly president

The US Treasury announced on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, that it has lifted sanctions on Jorge Rodríguez, who presides over Venezuela's National Assembly. Rodríguez is the brother of acting president Delcy Rodríguez. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) carried out the removal, and no further details of the decision have been published. Several entries carrying his name were taken off the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) section, the main US list of people and entities subject to financial sanctions. According to a document that AFP was able to review, the name was simply removed from the list, and the Treasury had not reacted immediately when AFP asked why.

Maduro's capture and a gradual easing of pressure

The move follows the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026. Since then Washington has eased its pressure on Venezuela step by step, and the resumption of relations between the two countries has led the US to reconsider the whole set of sanctions on the country. Delcy Rodríguez took over as acting president after the capture. In April, about three months after she assumed power, Washington lifted sanctions on her as well, since she had been Maduro's former 'number two'. The two siblings had both been under US sanctions since September 2018, a measure adopted during Donald Trump's first term.

Oil sector and US investment

The White House is seeking to redevelop Venezuela's oil sector, in a country that holds the largest reserves in the world. The US company North American Blue Energy Partners has deployed new equipment in the country. The firm is due to run concessions on 17 crude oil fields for 100 years, and the reserves of those fields are estimated at 65 billion barrels. The Treasury has not said whether the decision on Jorge Rodríguez is connected to these energy plans.

What is still unknown

Details of the decision are limited, and no explanation has been published beyond the removal itself. The lifting applies to Jorge Rodríguez alone, while his sister's sanctions were lifted earlier, in April. No other names on the list were mentioned in the reporting, and the Treasury has not published a rationale. The step is the latest in a series of measures easing ties between Washington and Caracas since Maduro's capture.