Alex Saab Removed from Industry Ministry Amid US Pressure

Venezuela’s interim president has dismissed businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of former leader Nicolas Maduro, from his post as minister of industry. Saab, who is Colombian-born, had been appointed to the role by Maduro in 2024 and was released in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States.

Delcy Rodriguez, acting as interim leader, announced via Telegram that the industry ministry would be merged with the commerce ministry and thanked Saab “for his service to the Homeland,” adding that he would take on new responsibilities.

The move comes amid pressure from Washington following the January 3 US military operation that removed Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Rodriguez has since implemented several key government changes, signaling a restructuring of Maduro-era appointments.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, however, questioned Rodriguez’s independence, asserting that she is “following orders” rather than acting on her own initiative. Machado praised the US and President Donald Trump for supporting what she described as Venezuela’s first steps toward a “true transition to democracy.”

In Caracas, US CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Rodriguez to convey Washington’s desire for an improved working relationship. Meanwhile, a US deportation flight carrying 231 Venezuelans arrived in Caracas, the first since Maduro’s ouster, signaling closer coordination between the interim government and Washington.

Despite these developments, Rodriguez emphasized that her government would remain firm in diplomacy, stating, “We know they are very powerful…we are not afraid to confront them diplomatically, through political dialogue.”