The United States has lifted sanctions on Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez. The move comes less than three months after US forces seized the country's previous leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife in a military raid in Caracas and took them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro who served as his vice-president, had been placed on the sanctions list in 2018, with the US accusing her of undermining democracy. She was sworn in as interim president by Venezuela's National Assembly, which is dominated by Maduro loyalists, days after the US raid and has been described by US President Donald Trump as 'a terrific person'. Rodríguez welcomed her removal from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, a designation that had blocked her assets in the US and barred US nationals from doing business with her. This decision was seen as a significant step in normalising relations between the two countries according to Rodríguez. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly emphasized the move as indicative of the progress made to promote stability in Venezuela. However, opposition activists in Caracas criticized the lifting of sanctions, arguing for more pressure on Rodríguez to release political prisoners still held in the nation's jails. Despite an amnesty law passed by the National Assembly, rights groups report that nearly 500 political prisoners remain behind bars. This latest decision reflects a series of warming relations between the Trump administration and Rodríguez's team, including the recent reopening of the US embassy in Caracas after seven years of closure. Critics remain cautious, highlighting the absence of discussions about democratic elections moving forward.