The United States Department of the Treasury reported this Thursday that it will allow "all transactions" with Venezuela "related to earthquake relief efforts" that were previously vetoed by the sanctions regime against the country. The decision is made after the double earthquake that has struck Venezuelan territory, leaving at least 188 dead and more than 1,500 injured.
Specifically, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a statement clarifying that these operations, which "would otherwise" not be possible under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations (VSR), may be carried out until October 23 of this year.
"All transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela that would otherwise be prohibited by the VSR are authorized through 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 23, 2026," the OFAC note literally states.
The general license covers the processing and transfer of funds on behalf of third-country persons "to or from" Venezuela, provided they support operations covered by this specific authorization.
However, the measure does not include the "unblocking of any blocked property" under the VSR, "nor any other transaction or activity prohibited by any other U.S. executive order" in cases where this general license is not expressly mentioned.
In parallel, hours before this regulatory announcement, the U.S. government had communicated a package of aid of 150 million dollars (more than 130 million euros) to address the consequences of the double earthquake of magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 on the Richter scale registered in Venezuela during the past night.