By Amr Gohar
Washington DC, U.S.- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is pressing Venezuela to move quickly toward political reforms and new elections, while using sanctions and access to economic activity as leverage over the country’s interim authorities.
According to a State Department press release, Rubio said the United States is judging Venezuela’s current leadership by its actions rather than its public rhetoric. He said the interim authorities have so far complied with several American demands involving political reforms, security and criminal organizations.
Rubio also said Iranian and Cuban influence inside Venezuela has been sharply reduced.
“Today the influence of Iranians and Cubans in Venezuela — and others — is substantially diminished, if not eliminated,” Rubio said.
He added that Washington has asked Venezuelan authorities to move against criminal organizations and cooperate in cases involving individuals wanted by the U.S. justice system.
Rubio said the United States also expects major changes to Venezuela’s political institutions before a new national election is held.
According to Rubio, the country needs a new Supreme Tribunal of Justice and a new National Electoral Council, arguing that the existing electoral system was created under Nicolás Maduro and cannot be relied upon to produce a credible election.
Rubio said Washington and Venezuelan authorities have agreed to specific timelines and warned that the United States would not accept indefinite delays.
He said Venezuela remains heavily sanctioned and that much of the economic activity currently taking place depends on U.S. waivers and Treasury licenses.
That, Rubio said, gives Washington significant influence over the transition process.
Rubio described the current path as an opportunity for Venezuela to move toward reconciliation, political reform and elections without returning to violence or prolonged instability.
He said the alternative could be renewed confrontation, armed conflict or a return to the conditions that pushed millions of Venezuelans to leave the country.
Rubio also discussed the return of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
He said U.S. officials had spoken with Venezuela’s interim authorities weeks earlier and made clear that Machado should be allowed to return to her country without interference.
According to Rubio, Venezuelan authorities told Washington that Machado would be permitted to enter the country, and that information was communicated to her team.
Rubio said the only time he personally advised against her immediate return was after a major earthquake, when humanitarian operations and emergency flights were the priority.
On Venezuela’s oil industry, Rubio said major changes have also taken place.
He said Venezuelan crude had previously been sold at deep discounts because of sanctions and that some oil shipments to China were effectively being used to offset Venezuelan debt.
Rubio said Venezuelan oil is now being sold at market prices, with revenues moving through a Treasury-controlled process before funds are released under established licenses.
He said some Venezuelan heavy crude is being refined in the southern United States, while India is also increasing its intake.
Rubio did not provide an updated figure for the amount of Venezuelan oil that has entered the United States.
He also defended expanded U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s energy sector, saying the country needs major private investment after years of underinvestment in oil infrastructure.
Rubio stressed that the U.S. government is not directly financing those investments, but said American involvement creates greater confidence for private companies to invest.
Asked about Delcy Rodríguez and whether Washington trusts Venezuela’s interim leadership, Rubio said trust would depend on results.
“We ultimately judge it not by rhetoric but by action,” he said.
Rubio said the key measure will be whether Venezuela follows through with institutional reforms, creates new electoral authorities and eventually holds elections under a new political framework.
“This is a results-based process,” Rubio said.
He also addressed Cuba, saying the United States believes the country needs “very dramatic change,” while declining to discuss specific questions involving U.S. intelligence activities.
Rubio said Cuba is a different case from Venezuela and did not provide further details.
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