US lifts sanctions on Venezuela's National Assembly leader

The United States on Wednesday lifted sanctions on the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, who is also the brother of the country's interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

This is the latest signal of warming relations between Washington and Caracas after the United States ousted longtime leader Nicolas Maduro in a military operation in January.

The Treasury Department has removed the top lawmaker's name from its list of sanctioned individuals, according to a notice by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The move comes months after the Treasury Department lifted sanctions against Delcy Rodriguez too.

US officials did not immediately provide a reason for the change, but it comes as Jorge Rodriguez represents the interim government in US-backed transition talks with Venezuela's political opposition.

The next round of negotiations on a future political transition were scheduled to begin Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier told reporters.

Rubio had encouraged opposition factions in Venezuela to join the talks with the interim government of Delcy Rodriguez.

Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro's vice president, took power after his ouster.

The country's ties with the United States have improved since, with Rodriguez complying with US President Donald Trump's demands for Caracas to open up its energy industry to American companies.

She and her brother Jorge were hit with US sanctions during Trump's first presidency for their roles in supporting Maduro's government.

But Washington eased sanctions on Delcy Rodriguez in April.

It later lifted sanctions against Venezuela's central bank and its state-owned national airline Conviasa too, in a series of moves to build ties with the oil-rich Latin American giant.

The US military operation that seized Maduro and his wife in January killed around 100 people in Venezuela, according to authorities there.