{"id":33452,"date":"2026-01-04T08:51:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T06:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=33452"},"modified":"2026-01-23T08:50:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T06:50:47","slug":"trump-says-us-will-run-venezuela-control-its-oil-reserves-after-military-operation-and-capture-of-maduro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/trump-says-us-will-run-venezuela-control-its-oil-reserves-after-military-operation-and-capture-of-maduro\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says US will run Venezuela, control its oil reserves after military operation and capture of Maduro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

9 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. President Donald Trump said the US would run Venezuela until a \u201cjudicious transition\u201d can happen and tap the country\u2019s massive oil reserves, hours after an audacious military operation in Venezuela that removed President Nicolas Maduro from power and from the country.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in the large-scale U.S. military operation inside Venezuela on January 3, 2026. They were brought to New York and are set to face\u00a0drug and weapons charges\u00a0in Manhattan federal court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Donald Trump confirmed the operation, saying U.S. forces struck multiple targets, neutralized Venezuelan military capabilities, and seized the country\u2019s leader in what he described as a decisive action against narcotics trafficking and authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,\u201d Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. \u201cWe can’t take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn’t have the interests of Venezuelans in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation immediately triggered international condemnation, sharp debate in the U.S. Congress, celebrations among parts of the Venezuelan diaspora, and deep concern across Latin America and Europe over the precedent set by the use of force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Inside US \u2018Operation Absolute Resolve\u2019 to Capture Maduro<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to U.S. officials, \u2018Operation Absolute Resolve\u2019, which involved more than 150 aircraft, began late Friday night and concluded in the early hours of Saturday, involving coordinated strikes by air, land, and sea forces. Trump said \u201coverwhelming military power\u201d was used in what he described as a \u201cspectacular assault,\u201d adding that the attack was \u201clike people have not seen since World War II.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. military struck key Venezuelan military and communications facilities, including Fuerte Tiuna, the country\u2019s main military base in Caracas, La Carlota air base, a major signal antenna site known as El Volcan, and the port of La Guaira on the Caribbean coast. Explosions were reported across the capital, and fires were seen at military installations.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A<\/a>
A photograph posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting near U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand in front of a screen, as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela from Trump’s Mar a Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., on January 3, 2026. (Image Credit: Truth Social\/@realDonaldTrump)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n



Trump said the operation lasted less than 30 minutes and took place largely in darkness. \u201cWe turned off almost all of the lights in Caracas,\u201d he said, describing a highly coordinated night assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Delta Force Captured Maduro<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. officials said President Maduro was captured by members of the U.S. Army\u2019s Delta Force, an elite special operations unit. Trump said Maduro was seized from a \u201chighly guarded\u201d presidential compound that was \u201clike a fortress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt had what they call a safety space, where it\u2019s solid steel all around,\u201d Trump said. \u201cHe was trying to get into it, but he got bum-rushed right so fast that he didn\u2019t get into that. We were prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump said U.S. forces had rehearsed the mission extensively, including practicing on a replica of the building they entered. He added that American troops carried specialized equipment that could have breached reinforced steel walls if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation involved a substantial combined naval and air force deployment drawn from a broad Caribbean-area buildup under Operation Southern Spear. Central to the effort were major U.S. Navy warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its carrier strike group, multiple Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers including USS Stockdale, USS Gravely, USS Mahan, USS Winston S. Churchill, and USS Bainbridge, Ticonderoga-class cruisers like USS Gettysburg and USS Lake Erie, and an amphibious task force centered on the USS Iwo Jima assault ship alongside USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White House is confirming U.S. military operations in Venezuela tonight. Let us be clear: these strikes are illegal. The President does not have the authority to declare war or undertake large-scale military operations without Congress. Congress must act to rein him in.\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KsbxS6TbSp<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>