Overview
- U.S. authorities brought Nicolás Maduro to a Manhattan federal court on Monday to face four counts tied to drug trafficking and machine guns, with the Venezuelan leader held in Brooklyn custody.
- President Donald Trump said the United States is “running” affairs in Venezuela for a period, signaled openness to deploying U.S. forces, and touted a return of American oil companies, while warning Delcy Rodríguez to “do the right thing.”
- Delcy Rodríguez has been installed as interim leader in Caracas and voiced willingness to work with Washington within a framework of balanced, lawful relations, even as the capital experiences anxious calm and resource concerns.
- The U.N. secretary-general called the cross-border seizure a “dangerous precedent,” China and Russia condemned the operation, and France opposed the method while labeling Maduro a dictator and urging a transition centered on 2024 candidate Edmundo González.
- A U.N. Security Council discussion was slated for Monday as analysts flagged potential exposure of Iran-linked drone, logistics, and finance networks tied to Caracas under intensified U.S. scrutiny.