The Trump administration is demanding that Venezuela’s interim leader take several pro-U.S. actions that her predecessor refused if she wants to avoid a similar fate.

U.S. officials have told Delcy Rodriguez that they want to see at least three moves from her: cracking down on drug flows; kicking out Iranian, Cuban and other operatives of countries or networks hostile to Washington; and stopping the sale of oil to U.S. adversaries, according to a U.S. official familiar with the situation and a person familiar with the administration’s internal discussions.

U.S. officials also expect Rodriguez — the former vice president now running Venezuela — to eventually facilitate free elections and step aside, the two people said. But the deadlines for the demands are fluid, and U.S. officials stress there are no elections imminent.


Two days after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its dictator, Nicolás Maduro, much remains unclear about what Washington plans for the aftermath. The White House argues that Maduro’s ouster was a law enforcement move against a drug lord, not a regime change operation or a war — a frame it has leaned on to explain its limited steps so far. But President Donald Trump’s penchant for dramatic action and targeted strikes may face its ultimate test in Venezuela, an economically broken nation of 30 million where missteps could lead to violence and other instability.