She's caught between two masters, and one controls her oil revenues
En el delicado arte de recomponer relaciones entre naciones, Washington ha dado un paso calculado: retirar a Delcy Rodríguez de su lista de sanciones, apenas tres meses después de que asumiera el poder en Venezuela tras la captura de Nicolás Maduro. El gesto no es gratuito ni incondicional —es parte de una estrategia en tres fases que busca estabilizar, recuperar y eventualmente democratizar a Venezuela— y refleja la vieja tensión entre el pragmatismo geopolítico y las exigencias de justicia que aún claman cientos de presos políticos.
- La administración Trump retiró a Rodríguez de la lista de sanciones del Tesoro, una señal de aprobación hacia una mujer que hasta hace poco era considerada cómplice del régimen de Maduro.
- La urgencia es real: Venezuela sigue siendo un Estado frágil, con presos políticos sin liberar, libertades restringidas y figuras como Diosdado Cabello aún en el poder, limitando el margen de maniobra de Rodríguez.
- Washington activa sus palancas económicas —licencias petroleras, cuentas controladas por el Tesoro, reapertura de su embajada— para mantener influencia sobre Caracas sin renunciar al control.
- La oposición venezolana y defensores de derechos humanos critican que el ritmo de liberaciones es demasiado lento, cuestionando si la diplomacia de incentivos realmente transforma o simplemente legitima.
- El levantamiento de sanciones personales a Rodríguez es simultáneamente una recompensa y una prueba: Washington apuesta a que la presión sostenida —y la promesa de más alivio— la mantendrá alineada con sus intereses democráticos.
Tres meses después de heredar el poder en circunstancias que nadie anticipaba, Delcy Rodríguez recibió una señal inequívoca desde Washington: su nombre fue retirado de la lista de individuos designados por el Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos. Era un giro notable para quien había sido vicepresidenta de Nicolás Maduro y sancionada precisamente por ese rol, junto a figuras como el ministro de defensa Vladimir Padrino López y el ministro del interior Diosdado Cabello.
Rodríguez llegó al poder en enero, tras la captura de Maduro por fuerzas especiales estadounidenses. Desde entonces ha navegado con cautela entre las exigencias de Washington y las lealtades internas de su base política, despidiendo a López en marzo pero manteniendo a Cabello —uno de sus apoyos más poderosos— en su cargo. El alivio de sanciones sugería que ese equilibrio, al menos ante los ojos norteamericanos, estaba funcionando.
La estrategia estadounidense, delineada públicamente por el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio, sigue tres fases: estabilización, recuperación y transición democrática. La primera, evitar el caos tras la caída de Maduro, se consideró cumplida. La segunda está en marcha: empresas americanas operan en los sectores de petróleo, gas y minería venezolanos; la embajada de EE.UU., cerrada por siete años, reabrió sus puertas; y el crudo venezolano llega a refinerías estadounidenses cuyos ingresos quedan depositados en cuentas controladas por el Tesoro, otorgando a Washington una palanca directa sobre la economía venezolana.
Rubio también mencionó la liberación de cientos de presos políticos como parte de esta fase, aunque esa afirmación fue recibida con escepticismo por la oposición venezolana y organizaciones de derechos humanos, que denuncian que el ritmo es insuficiente y que las libertades fundamentales siguen restringidas. La tercera fase —elecciones libres— permanece en el horizonte, condicionada a avances concretos.
El levantamiento de sanciones a Rodríguez es, en el fondo, una apuesta: Washington confía en que la perspectiva de mayor alivio económico —o la amenaza de reimponerlo— mantendrá a la presidenta interina alineada con sus objetivos. Pero la presencia continua de Cabello en el gobierno recuerda que los márgenes de Rodríguez son estrechos, y que entre la señal de confianza y la prueba real apenas hay distancia.
Three months into her unexpected presidency, Delcy Rodríguez woke to news that would reshape her standing in Washington. The Trump administration had removed her name from the Treasury Department's list of specially designated individuals—the formal machinery of American sanctions, now reversed. It was a striking reversal for a woman who had served as Nicolás Maduro's vice president and been sanctioned precisely for that role, alongside other senior officials like defense minister Vladimir Padrino López and interior minister Diosdado Cabello.
Rodríguez had inherited power in January after Maduro's capture by U.S. special forces on the third of that month. She moved quickly to consolidate her position, firing López in mid-March but walking a careful line between American demands and the expectations of her own political base—particularly Cabello, who remained in his post and was widely seen as one of her most powerful backers. The sanctions relief suggested she was succeeding at that balancing act, at least in Washington's eyes.
In a statement, Rodríguez framed the decision as validation. She said the Trump administration's move represented a step toward normalizing relations between the two countries and expressed hope it would lead to broader sanctions relief for Venezuela itself. The timing mattered: it came as part of a larger American strategy that had already begun to unwind decades of economic pressure on Caracas.
The Trump administration's approach followed a publicly announced three-phase plan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined it in a Fox News interview that same week. The first phase, he explained, was stabilization—preventing mass migration or street unrest after Maduro's fall. That had succeeded. The second phase, where things now stood, was recovery. American companies had received licenses to work in Venezuela's oil, gas, and mining sectors. The U.S. embassy, shuttered for seven years, had just reopened its doors. Venezuelan oil was flowing to American refineries, with the proceeds deposited into Treasury-controlled accounts that gave Washington leverage over how the money was spent.
Rubio also cited the release of hundreds of political prisoners as part of recovery, though this claim drew sharp criticism from Venezuelan opposition figures and human rights advocates who said the pace was glacially slow. Only three months had passed since Maduro's removal, Rubio noted, and the administration considered what had been accomplished extraordinary. The third phase, he made clear, would be transition—free elections, eventually, though he urged patience without complacency.
What Rubio did not say explicitly was that sanctions relief for Rodríguez herself was a tool, a way of signaling approval for her cooperation while keeping the broader American grip on Venezuela's economy intact. The strategy assumed that Rodríguez would deliver on promises of democratic reform and prisoner releases, and that the prospect of further sanctions relief—or the threat of reimposing it—would keep her aligned with Washington's interests. Whether that assumption would hold remained an open question. Cabello's continued presence in government, and Rodríguez's need to maintain his support, suggested the constraints on her freedom to act were substantial. The lifting of her personal sanctions was a vote of confidence, but it was also a test.
Notable Quotes
We value the Trump administration's decision as a step toward normalizing and strengthening relations between our countries— Delcy Rodríguez, in response to sanctions relief
In Venezuela we have a three-front plan. The first was stabilization. The second is recovery, where we are now. Eventually there will be elections, and that has to happen.— Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Fox News interview
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why remove sanctions from Rodríguez specifically, rather than waiting to see how she governs?
Because she's the linchpin. If she feels isolated and threatened by Washington, she might lean harder on Cabello and the old guard. Removing her from the list signals that cooperation pays.
But she was Maduro's vice president. What changed about her?
Nothing about her changed. What changed is that Maduro is gone and she's in power. Washington is betting she'll be more pliable than he was, and they're using sanctions relief as the carrot.
The article mentions Treasury controlling Venezuelan oil money. That sounds like leverage, not partnership.
Exactly. It's leverage dressed as recovery. They're saying Venezuela's economy will improve, but only if Rodríguez does what they want—release prisoners, hold elections, keep Cabello in check.
Is that sustainable? Can she actually deliver on all of that?
That's the real question. She needs Cabello's support to stay in power, but Washington wants her to marginalize him. She's caught between two masters, and one of them controls her access to her own country's oil revenues.
What happens if she can't balance it?
Then either Washington reimpose sanctions, or Cabello moves against her. Probably both. The three-month window is still open, but it's closing.