Washington has removed sanctions on interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez. The move comes as the US continues to gradually ease measures on Venezuela after toppling Nicolas Maduro.

The United States has lifted sanctions against Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez, a post on the US Treasury Department's website said Wednesday.

Rodriguez assumed the office after Washington deposed her predecessor Nicolas Maduro — with US forces conducting a raid on Venezuela's capital, Caracas, and seizing him on January 3.

What Does the Lifting of US Sanctions Mean for Rodriguez ?

Rodriguez's name was removed from the "Specially Designated Nationals List," according to an entry by the Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The move enables Rodriguez to work with US companies and investors more freely.

She welcomed the decision in a statement posted on X, calling it a "significant step in the right direction to normalize and strengthen relations" between the US and Venezuela.

"We trust that this ‌progress will allow for the lifting of the sanctions currently in place on our ‌country, ​enabling the building and guaranteeing of an effective bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of our peoples," she said.

Rodriguez was Maduro's vice president. She was among several individuals in the former leader's so-called "inner circle" sanctioned by the Treasury in 2018, during US President Donald Trump's first stint in office.

Thawing US-Venezuela Relations

Ties between Washington and Caracas are on the mend after Maduro's ouster. Rodriguez was formally recognized by the US as Venezuela's leader in March and is walking a tight rope between demands from Washington and those from her own supporters.

She has since been complying with Trump's demands for Venezuela to open up its energy industry to US companies. Washington has removed sanctions on major Venezuelan industries.

In March, the Treasury Department issued an authorization allowing the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA, to directly sell Venezuelan oil to US companies and on international markets.

In a key development on Monday, the US State Department announced the formal reopening of its embassy in Caracas which had been shut for seven years.