WASHINGTON, United States, 15 July 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States will not block Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's return to her home country, a US diplomat said Wednesday, though he cautioned that the right conditions must be in place.

"The policy in the State Department is clear: we're not going to obstruct Maria Corina to return," Deputy Assistant Secretary for South America Luis Mendez told Congress during a hearing.

Machado left Venezuela last December to receive her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway and has not returned since then.

"Now, I do think that there's some work we need to do in the context of Venezuela, so that way, when she returns, she doesn't get arrested," Mendez said.

Since the devastating double earthquakes on June 24, Machado has tried to return to Caracas on multiple occasions, but she was blocked by diplomatic pressure from Venezuela.

When asked whether the US government has sought to convince interim president Delcy Rodriguez to allow Machado to return, Mendez said: "Yes, we made it very clear to the interim authorities."

Rodriguez has been in power since the US overthrow of then-president Nicolas Maduro in January, both part of the ruling party. She announced Tuesday that her government has a plan to meet with opposition party members starting next month.