MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[“Has anyone talked about democracy? No”: OEI secretary criticizes Trump's oil-driven approach to Venezuela]]> The Trump administration has implemented a series of measures to facilitate US investment in Venezuela's energy sector The secretary general of the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI), Mariano Jabonero, said that US President Donald Trump's primary interest in Venezuela is energy-related and has nothing to do with promoting democratic values or civilization.

]]> Tue, 07 Apr 2026 21:06:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chavismo and opposition faction seek judicial pause to shield Citgo and PDVSA assets]]> Guaidó and the Citgo logo. Since 2019, Venezuelan assets in the US were placed under opposition-appointed boards after PDVSA sanctions Lawyers representing Delcy Rodríguez's government and those of the opposition sector that has controlled Venezuelan assets in the United States since 2019 jointly asked a New York court for a 45-day suspension in a case where international creditors are seeking to seize funds linked to Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

]]> Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:28:00 GMT <![CDATA[Uruguayan national admits to scheme to circumvent US sanctions linked to Venezuela]]> Irazmar Carbajal de Jesús agreed to transfer approximately $99,500, delivered in cash in the Dominican Republic, to a bank account in Fort Lauderdale, Florida A 60-year-old Uruguayan citizen pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court to conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business in order to circumvent American sanctions linked to Venezuelan government officials, the Department of Justice announced on March 25.

]]> Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:24:00 GMT <![CDATA[US lifts sanctions on Delcy Rodríguez, clearing the way for her visit to Washington]]> “We value this decision as a step toward normalizing and strengthening relations between our countries,” she wrote The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday removed Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, the country's main financial sanctions registry managed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The move allows her to access blocked assets, conduct transactions with U.S. entities, and travel to American territory.

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:01:00 GMT <![CDATA[Machado meets Rubio in Washington, says her return to Venezuela is near]]> “Excellent meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Thank you for your commitment to democracy, freedom, and the well-being of Venezuelans,” Machado wrote on her Instagram account Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado met Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington. It was the second meeting between the two since the U.S. military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3.

]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:07:00 GMT <![CDATA[Maduro calls from prison for "reconciliation, forgiveness, and reunion" in Venezuela]]> Maduro and Flores remain held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since their capture. Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, issued their first public statement since being captured in Caracas on January 3 in a U.S. military operation, calling for national reconciliation and endorsing acting President Delcy Rodríguez's leadership.

]]> Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:53:00 GMT <![CDATA[Judge refuses to dismiss Maduro case but questions blocking of funds for his defense]]> The defense had requested dismissal in February after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) denied the defendants a license to pay their lawyers with Venezuelan government funds Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected on Thursday the defense's motion to dismiss the charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in a second hearing at the Southern District Court of New York that ran unusually long due to the debate over funding their legal representation.

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 18:47:00 GMT <![CDATA[Maduro faces New York court in key hearing over legal defense]]> Prosecutors reject that argument and maintain that Maduro and Flores can use public defenders if they lack the resources to hire private attorneys Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appear on Thursday, March 26, before the Southern District Court of New York in a second hearing in the criminal case they face in the United States following their capture in January during a U.S. military operation.

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:59:00 GMT <![CDATA[Rodríguez promises "legal certainty" to investors while Machado competes for attention from Texas]]> Rodríguez's appearance came one day before Nicolás Maduro's hearing at a New York court Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, participated via videoconference on Wednesday at the FII Priority investment forum in Miami, where she assured American, Saudi, and Latin American investors that her government is advancing reforms to guarantee "legal certainty" for investments in the country.

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 01:57:00 GMT <![CDATA[Venezuela sends diplomatic delegation to Washington to formalize restoration of ties with US]]> “This week, the delegation of diplomats who will begin this new stage of diplomatic and political relations and dialog between our governments will depart for Washington,” Delcy Rodríguez said Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez announced on Tuesday that a delegation of Venezuelan diplomats will travel to Washington this week to advance the normalization of bilateral relations with the United States, severed since 2019.

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:12:00 GMT