Mike Baker

Rodriguez's swearing-in ceremony earlier this month was attended by representatives from Iran, China, and Russia.

Since taking office, she has yet to publicly announce any move to cut those relationships.

Intelligence officials now say it's unclear whether she's fully on board with the U.S.

strategy or simply managing Washington while preserving old alliances.

Now, this skepticism about Venezuela's interim president isn't entirely new.

Sources told Reuters that concerns about Rodriguez's reliability were already present before the U.S.

operation that removed Maduro.

And while she's taken steps designed to stay in Washington's good graces, releasing political prisoners and authorizing the sale of tens of millions of barrels of oil to the U.S.,

Those moves may just be tactical.

It's also worth noting that we reported a few weeks ago on CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Caracas, where he met directly with Rodriguez to discuss Venezuela's political future.

Reuters says it's unclear whether that meeting changed the intelligence community's assessment.

For now, doubts remain.

Those doubts carry real consequences for Washington's broader plan, which depends on Rodriguez delivering stability without pulling the US into a deeper military role.

If she were to fully break with US rivals, it could unlock significant American investment in Venezuela's energy sector.

If she doesn't, well, it risks undercutting the administration's ability to steer events from a distance.

At the same time, U.S.

officials privately acknowledge they don't see an immediate alternative.

Rodriguez is deeply tied to Venezuela's oil sector, and the intelligence community has previously assessed that figures loyal to the old Maduro system were best positioned to keep the country functioning in the short term.

That leaves Washington in a bind, backing a leader that it doesn't entirely trust.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is viewed as a longer-term option.