Washington, United States: President Donald Trump has warned that Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez will face a "very big price" if she fails to cooperate with Washington, a day after US forces seized former president Nicolas Maduro in a dramatic military operation.
Trump said Rodriguez, who has taken over after Maduro's arrest, must "do what's right" or face consequences worse than her predecessor. He made the remarks in a telephone interview with The Atlantic on Sunday.
The warning followed a pre-dawn US assault on Caracas on Saturday, when American forces bombed military targets and captured Maduro and his wife. Both were taken to the United States to face federal narcotrafficking charges in New York. Maduro is due to appear before a Manhattan court on Monday.
US outlines conditions for cooperation
The Trump administration said it is prepared to work with the remaining elements of Maduro's government, provided US objectives are met. These include opening access to American investment in Venezuela's vast crude oil reserves.
Trump said on Saturday that the United States would "run" Venezuela for now, arguing that "rebuilding there and regime change - anything you want to call it - is better than what you have right now."
Opposition calls arrest 'not enough'
From exile in Spain, opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia said Maduro's capture was "an important step, but not enough" to restore stability in the crisis-hit nation.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, he demanded that the results of the disputed 2024 election - which he claims to have won - be recognised and that all political prisoners be released to ensure a "democratic transition."
Caracas braces for fallout
Venezuelans prepared for the political aftermath of the stunning raid, which involved US commandos arriving by helicopter with fighter jet and naval support.
Residents queued at grocery stores to buy food, while the masked and heavily armed police seen the previous day had disappeared, AFP correspondents reported.
Around 2,000 Maduro supporters rallied in Caracas on Sunday, including armed men on motorcycles. Crowds waved Venezuelan flags in red, blue and yellow and shouted slogans.
Military backs Rodriguez, urges calm
The Venezuelan military said it recognised Rodriguez, formerly Maduro's vice president, as acting president and appealed for calm.
No official death toll has been released. Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said a "large part" of Maduro's security detail had been killed "in cold blood," along with military personnel and civilians.
Questions over US strategy
Despite the operation's success, questions grew over Washington's long-term plan.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Americans were left "scratching their heads in wonderment and in fear."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to temper expectations, saying the US was not pursuing full regime change or immediate elections. "We're going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do," he told CBS News.
Rubio said the United States was targeting drug traffickers and "not a war against Venezuela," but confirmed that a strong US naval presence would remain in the Caribbean to enforce a blockade on Venezuelan oil exports, giving Washington "tremendous leverage."
Trump reiterated that US "boots on the ground" remained a possibility and said Washington intended to call the shots until a transition is achieved.
Rodriguez strikes defiant tone
In her first comments since the US attack, Rodriguez said Maduro remained Venezuela's only legitimate leader and declared that "we're ready to defend our natural resources."
Maduro's transfer to New York
Footage released by the White House showed Maduro late Saturday being escorted through a US Drug Enforcement Administration facility in Manhattan. Handcuffed and wearing sandals, he was heard saying, "Good night, happy new year."
Earlier photographs showed him blindfolded and handcuffed aboard a US naval vessel, wearing noise-cancelling ear protectors.
Maduro, a self-declared socialist, ruled Venezuela for more than a decade through elections widely viewed as rigged. He succeeded Hugo Chavez after the former leader's death.
As news of his arrest spread, Venezuelans in exile celebrated in cities from Madrid to Santiago. Around eight million people have fled Venezuela amid deepening poverty and political repression.