In short
- The US Treasury Department removed Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, from its sanctions list on 14 October 2026.
- Jorge Rodríguez had been on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals list since September 2018.
- Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president and Jorge Rodríguez’s sister, was removed from the US sanctions list in April 2026.
- An oil agreement between the Rodríguez government and Washington, announced in August, gives the United States majority control over a fifth of Venezuela’s reserves, according to El País.
- Venezuela’s presidential elections remain without a date.
The US Treasury Department removed Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, from its sanctions list on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, without giving a reason. Rodríguez, who has led the Venezuelan parliament since 2021, is the brother of acting president Delcy Rodríguez. He had been designated in September 2018.
What did the US sanctions on Jorge Rodríguez involve?
Jorge Rodríguez was taken off the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals list. Inclusion on that list blocks assets held in the United States, bans entry into the country and prohibits transactions with US citizens and companies.
He was designated in September 2018 alongside former first lady Cilia Flores and then defence minister Vladimir Padrino. At the time, the Treasury said Nicolás Maduro had given them “high-ranking positions” in the government to help him “remain in power”. The Treasury did not explain its decision to lift the measures.
Why was Delcy Rodríguez removed from the list earlier?
Delcy Rodríguez was removed from the sanctions list in April, which allowed her to travel to New York in September for the UN General Assembly, where she met US President Donald Trump. She took power after Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores were detained in a US military operation in Caracas in January. Both face charges in New York of drug trafficking and, since last week, of torture and repression.
What has the Rodríguez government agreed with Washington?
The Rodríguez government has negotiated an oil agreement with Washington, announced in August, which according to El País gives the United States majority control over a fifth of Venezuela’s reserves, the largest in the world. According to Reuters, the Rodríguez siblings pushed legal changes to further open the energy and mining sectors to foreign companies. Elsewhere in the region, Argentina has filed a claim at a sea tribunal over a Falklands oil project.
Other US enforcement action in the region includes the detention of Colombian Álvaro Pulido over alleged $2bn laundering.
Are presidential elections scheduled in Venezuela?
Venezuela’s presidential elections remain without a date. Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio received Dinorah Figuera, head of the opposition delegation in talks with the Venezuelan government, in Washington, with no announcements. Opposition leader María Corina Machado is not taking part in that dialogue and has been unable to return to Venezuela.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the US lift sanctions on Jorge Rodríguez?
The US Treasury Department has not given a reason for removing Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, from its sanctions list on 14 October 2026.
Who is Jorge Rodríguez?
He is the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, a post he has held since 2021, and the brother of acting president Delcy Rodríguez.
What does it mean to be on the US sanctions list?
The Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals list blocks assets held in the United States, bans entry into the country and prohibits transactions with US citizens and companies.
When was Delcy Rodríguez removed from the US sanctions list?
Delcy Rodríguez was removed in April 2026, which allowed her to travel to New York in September for the UN General Assembly, where she met US President Donald Trump.
With reporting from en.mercopress.com.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
