US-Venezuela HIGHLIGHTS: US accused of ‘crime of aggression’ at UN; Maduro arrest called ‘dangerous precedent’

Speaking at the installation of Venezuela’s National Assembly in Caracas on Monday, Maduro Guerra offered his backing for the first time. “To you, Delcy, my unconditional support. Count on me and my family,” he said, tearfully reflecting on what he described as difficult hours for his family. President Donald Trump has said Rodríguez would work with Washington to “make Venezuela great again.”

The United Nations human rights office has expressed serious concern over the dramatic US operation in Venezuela, cautioning that it clearly “undermined a fundamental principle of international law.”

The Trump administration publicly thanked parts of the US news media for keeping details of its secret Venezuela raid under wraps before it was carried out, in an interview with ABC News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised outlets that learnt about the operation ahead of time but chose not to publish to protect operational security.

Colombia’s government confirmed it will keep collaborating with the United States on counter-narcotics efforts, highlighting continued use of US intelligence and technology. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, speaking with Justice Minister Andres Idarraga, said Bogotá has assured Washington that joint efforts against drug trafficking will go on.

Denmark is treating Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland as a serious matter, Danish MP Lars-Christian Brask told Sky News.

Brask made it clear that Copenhagen is not expecting a US invasion.

“It’s not as if we fear Greenland or Denmark is going to be invaded by the US,” he said. Still, he stressed that such remarks cannot be brushed aside.

Not working with Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro is a “major mistake,” former US national security adviser John Bolton said, according to CNN.

Speaking to CNN, Bolton accused the Trump administration of throwing Machado “under the bus” and questioned why Washington chose not to engage with the opposition despite strong public support for it.

Bolton said engaging with figures from the remnants of the Maduro regime instead of helping the opposition take charge marked a “major turning point” and risked giving legitimacy to an “illegitimate regime.”

Bolton argued that the US should have coordinated with the opposition well before the operation against Maduro.

The United States came under sharp criticism at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, with several countries accusing Washington of committing a “crime of aggression” in Venezuela following the weekend attack and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, according to The Guardian.

Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Eritrea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Spain were among the nations that condemned the US action. Brazil’s UN ambassador Sérgio França Danese said the bombings on Venezuelan soil and the arrest of its president “cross an unacceptable line” and set a “dangerous precedent” for the international community.

Defending the operation, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said it was a lawful “law enforcement” action aimed at enforcing long-standing criminal indictments against what he called an “illegitimate” leader, not an act of war.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told Fox News’ “Hannity” that she dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to Donald Trump after his role in the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

“It hasn’t happened yet, but I’d certainly love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people — certainly want to give it to him and share it with him,” Machado said.

She also warned that interim leader Delcy Rodríguez should not be trusted, calling her “one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption, narco-trafficking” and an ally of Russia, China, and Iran. Machado said she hopes to return to Venezuela soon, but for now feels she is more effective supporting her cause from exile.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner said the US role in Maduro’s arrest risks opening the door to chaos in international politics. Warner warned that other leaders, such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin, could use similar logic to justify seizing foreign rivals, saying it would undermine global order and encourage unilateral actions by powerful nations.

US Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller said Washington is firmly calling the shots in Venezuela, claiming broad control over trade, military presence and cooperation from Caracas. “We have an oil embargo on Venezuela — for them to do any kind of commerce they need our permission,” Miller said, adding that US naval forces remain deployed in the region. “This is an active and ongoing US government, military operation. So of course, we set the terms and conditions.”

Miller also claimed the US is getting “full, complete and total cooperation” from Venezuela’s government, arguing the situation will benefit both countries economically and on security fronts such as counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the US is keeping all options open when it comes to Nicolás Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and other co-defendants named in the Justice Department’s indictment.
Speaking on Fox News, Bondi said the threat extends beyond Maduro to figures including his son Nicolás Maduro Guerra, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and the alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua gang. She added that Saturday’s operation was legal and within the president’s constitutional powers.

According to CNN, the gunfire happened because of confusion between different security units operating near the presidential palace.

In one recording, a member of the group could be heard asking for backup, saying there had been confrontations near the palace and that several shots had been fired. Shortly after, another voice said the situation was the result of a misunderstanding and confusion after shots were fired. That person added that things had calmed down.

A White House official told CNN that US authorities are closely monitoring reports of gunfire from Venezuela, but stressed that Washington is not involved.

The source and cause of the explosions are unclear, and the sounds stopped shortly after. No immediate reports of damage have surfaced.

Earlier in the day, heavily-armed security forces and pro-government colectivos roamed the capital, sometimes stopping drivers and checking phones. Videos show motorbikes and armed civilians circling the presidential palace.

Both Venezuela’s Information Ministry and the White House have not commented on the incident.

Gunfire was reported Monday night near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas. Videos geolocated by CNN show what appear to be drone lights and anti-aircraft fire lighting up the night sky.

The reason for the incident is currently unclear. Authorities in Venezuela have not yet provided official information. CNN has reached out to the Ministries of Communication and Foreign Affairs for comment

President Donald Trump said Monday he believes US oil companies could restore Venezuela’s battered energy infrastructure and get it back “up and running” in less than 18 months, though he acknowledged the effort would require a significant financial commitment.

“I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,” Trump told NBC News. “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.”

Trump has repeatedly voiced enthusiasm about US companies gaining access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

US President Donald Trump said Venezuela will not hold fresh elections within the next 30 days, arguing that the country must first be stabilised and rebuilt following the US operation that led to the capture of longtime leader Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking to NBC News on Monday, Trump said conditions on the ground make elections impossible in the near term. “We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,” he said, adding that Venezuela would need to be “nursed back to health” before going to the polls.

Trump said Washington is exploring options to rebuild Venezuela’s economy, with a particular focus on restoring the country’s oil sector

Nearly 200 US military personnel were deployed on the ground in Caracas during the weekend operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday.

Speaking at a shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, Hegseth said the operation involved “nearly 200 of our greatest Americans” who entered downtown Caracas and carried out the mission in support of US law enforcement. He suggested that Venezuelan and Russian-supplied air defenses failed to detect the operation in time.

Hegseth said the raid included elite Army Delta Force soldiers and an FBI unit, though officials had previously declined to disclose how many US personnel were involved. “They grabbed an indicted individual wanted by American justice… without a single American killed,” he said.

The warning came as Trump threatened to intervene if Iranian security forces use deadly force against protesters. The unrest — described as the largest wave of demonstrations since 2022 — has reportedly left several people dead and comes amid soaring inflation, a historic collapse of Iran’s currency, and growing civil disobedience across multiple cities.

“If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” The president did not specify what form US action might take.

The US State Department issued an unusually blunt warning to Iran’s leadership on Monday as anti-government protests spread across the country, posting a rare warning in Persian that highlighted President Donald Trump’s readiness to act amid the escalating crisis.

“President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know before, now you do. Don’t mess with President Trump,” the State Department said in a post on its Persian-language X account, a message widely seen as directed at Iran’s senior leadership rather than the public.

Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president on Monday, two days after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transported them to New York to face trial. Rodríguez took the oath of office before the National Assembly, saying she was assuming the role “in the name of all Venezuelans.”

Rodríguez, who has served as Venezuela’s vice president since 2018, had already been effectively running the country since Maduro’s capture on Saturday. In her initial remarks following the operation, she struck a defiant tone, saying Venezuela would “never again be anyone’s colony.”

By Sunday evening, however, Rodríguez appeared to soften her stance, issuing a statement that invited the US government “to work jointly on an agenda of cooperation, aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law, and that strengthens lasting peaceful coexistence.”

As the hearing ended, Maduro declared himself a “prisoner of war,” a phrase he repeated several times during the proceedings. Speaking in Spanish through a translator, Maduro formally entered a plea of not guilty, saying: “I’m innocent. I’m not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country.” He attempted to continue speaking, but was interrupted by the judge.

As Maduro tried to expand on his plea, saying he had been “kidnapped,” Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein stopped him and redirected the proceedings, making clear that the court would follow standard protocol.

Senior White House aide Stephen Miller said Monday that the United States is effectively in control of Venezuela because American military forces remain positioned just outside the country. Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, Miller said the US “sets the terms and conditions” for Venezuela as a result of its military leverage.

Miller argued that the presence of US forces off Venezuela’s coast gives Washington the ability to dictate outcomes on the ground. “By definition, we are in charge,” he said, adding that the threat posed by US military power has shaped Venezuela’s current political reality.

According to Miller, the US is also exerting pressure through economic means, effectively controlling whether Venezuela can conduct trade or run its economy. “For them to do commerce, they need our permission,” he said, describing economic leverage as central to US strategy.

Maduro and his wife were escorted out of the court. Next hearing date is set for March 17, AP reported.

Earlier in the day, US Vice President JD Vance reacted to the violent attack at his Ohio residence. He appreciated his well wishers’ best wishes. “I appreciate everyone’s well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I’m grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly. We weren’t even home as we had returned already to DC. One request to the media: we try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service. In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows,” he said.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty at the court. “I am a decent man, I’m still the president of my country,” Maduro said, according to NBC News.

The Venezuelan president has now appeared for the first time in a New York courtroom, the AP news agency reports.

Maduro, wearing a blue jail uniform, and his wife were led into court around noon for a brief, but required, legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the US. Both put on headsets to hear the English-language proceeding as it was translated into Spanish.

The couple were transported under armed guard early Monday from the Brooklyn jail where they’ve been detained to a Manhattan courthouse.

Nicolas Maduro Guerra, the son of Venezuela’s abducted president, has spoken to the country’s federal legislature, the National Assembly, which is meeting for the first time since the US attacks.

Maduro Guerra, a member of the assembly, said Venezuela plans to move forward “with international engagement that is balanced and respectful”.

He called for “respect for every country of the Americas”, stressing that Venezuela seeks “dignity without submission”.

The son of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared in Venezuela’s National Assembly on Monday where the country’s lawmakers elected in parliamentary elections last May are set to be sworn in.

Maduro has retained Barry J. Pollack, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer known for securing Assange’s release from prison and winning an acquittal for former Enron accountant Michael Krautz.

Pollack, a partner at the law firm Harris, St. Laurent & Wechsler, negotiated Assange’s 2024 plea agreement, allowing him to go free immediately after he pleaded guilty to an Espionage Act charge for obtaining and publishing US military secrets, according to AP.