The United States is facing a critical test in Venezuela following a devastating earthquake that struck the country on Wednesday. According to a CNN report, the disaster comes after the Trump administration’s earlier pledge to rebuild Venezuela following the removal of President Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump had previously declared that the US would ‘manage’ the country and outlined a three-step plan involving stability, recovery, and transformation.

In the months since Maduro’s ouster, Trump has promoted the success of US involvement in Venezuela and his partnership with interim President Delcy Rodríguez. Just a day before the earthquake, Trump told a rally in Pennsylvania that Venezuela was ‘doing very well’ and that the US was profiting from the relationship. However, the situation on the ground remains dire, with 28 million Venezuelans struggling with inflation, low wages, censorship, and a deep humanitarian crisis.

Following the earthquake, Trump posted on Truth Social that the US government was ready to assist and had instructed all agencies to prepare for rapid action. It remains uncertain how far this commitment will extend and whether Washington can help Venezuela achieve the promised stability and economic growth.

The United States has pledged emergency assistance to Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes struck the country’s northern coast on Wednesday evening. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. government is ready, willing, and able to help, directing all agencies to prepare for rapid response. Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has declared a state of emergency following the disaster.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the first quake, measuring 7.2 magnitude, hit near San Felipe, about 284 kilometers west of Caracas, followed 39 seconds later by a 7.5 magnitude quake near Yumar. The tremors caused widespread destruction across several states, including Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda, and La Guaira. USGS estimated a 44 percent probability of fatalities reaching 10,000 and a 30 percent chance of exceeding 100,000 deaths due to the region’s vulnerable building structures.

U.S. Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance Jeremy Lewin said a disaster response team and task force have been mobilized to deliver search and rescue units, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau reaffirmed U.S. solidarity with the Venezuelan people and ongoing coordination with local authorities.

Two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.5 and 7.2 magnitude struck Venezuela, causing severe damage in the capital Caracas. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency following the quakes, which led to the collapse of several buildings. The Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía was closed after sustaining major damage, and all schools, metro, and rail services were suspended. Non-essential activities across the country were also ordered to halt.

Rodríguez announced that the General Staff of the armed forces had been activated, with the commander general of the Bolivarian National Guard leading the response. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the first quake occurred near San Felipe, about 284 kilometers west of Caracas, followed 39 seconds later by a second quake near Yumar, roughly 293 kilometers west of the capital.

The USGS estimated that the death toll could exceed 10,000, citing that most buildings in Venezuela are not constructed with earthquake-resistant technology, which could lead to even higher casualties.

Two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.5 and 7.2 magnitude struck Venezuela, causing widespread devastation across several regions. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the death toll could surpass 10,000 due to the poor earthquake resistance of most buildings. The first quake hit near San Felipe, about 284 kilometers west of Caracas, followed 39 seconds later by a stronger tremor near Yumar, roughly 293 kilometers west of the capital. A tsunami warning was initially issued but later withdrawn.

Severe damage has been reported in Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda, and La Guaira states, where numerous buildings collapsed. A resident of La Guaira said the airport sustained major damage, though it was not completely destroyed, and roads cracked, disrupting transportation. Miranda’s Chacao mayor feared heavy casualties but did not specify numbers. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed extensive destruction nationwide and said authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage.

The government has prioritized rescue operations as assessments continue to determine the total human and infrastructural losses.

Two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.5 and 7.2 magnitude struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, causing widespread damage and fears of heavy casualties. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the first quake of 7.2 magnitude hit near San Felipe, about 284 kilometers west of Caracas, at 6:04 p.m. local time. Just 39 seconds later, a second 7.5 magnitude quake struck near Yumar, roughly 293 kilometers west of the capital. Several buildings in Caracas collapsed as a result.

The USGS reported that the second quake’s epicenter was 23 kilometers southeast of Yumar at a depth of about 10 kilometers. The agency warned that the disaster likely affected a large area and that strong aftershocks could follow. Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged residents to stay outside their homes and said gas connections in several buildings had been cut off as a precaution. Reuters reported that residents in Caracas rushed outdoors, while AFP images showed a collapsed building believed to be a bank.

Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage as emergency measures continue across affected regions.

Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodríguez said on Monday that the arrest of former president Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces has put the country on the right path. Rodríguez assumed leadership after Maduro was ousted in a U.S.-led operation in Caracas in January 2026. Since then, she has opened Venezuela to private investment and foreign interests, a process closely monitored by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking at an event in Caracas, Rodríguez celebrated the restoration of diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington, describing January 3, 2026, as a turning point in national and international politics. She noted that Venezuela could not have imagined a post-Maduro era a year earlier and said that six months into her leadership, she believes the country is moving in the right direction.

Relations between Venezuela and the United States have resumed after years of isolation, with Washington easing sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry. Maduro remains imprisoned in New York on drug trafficking charges, while his son Nicolás Maduro Guerra attended Monday’s event.

Spanish energy company Repsol has signed an agreement to explore a light crude oil field in Venezuela. The deal was finalized on Tuesday in one of the country’s main oil-producing regions, which holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves. The exploration will take place on the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo in the oil-rich northwest of the country.

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has opened Venezuela’s hydrocarbon sector to foreign investment after President Nicolás Maduro was detained during a U.S. military operation. Under pressure from Washington, Rodríguez pushed reform legislation through parliament to attract international partners. Repsol had agreed in April to resume its operations in Venezuela.

State oil company PDVSA’s president Héctor Obregón Pérez said the country aims to achieve growth in both gas and oil sectors. Repsol CEO Josu Jon Imaz San reaffirmed the company’s commitment to investing in Venezuela, while Rodríguez emphasized that Repsol had maintained its dedication during difficult times and would now receive guarantees for expanding its investments.

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday night that American forces carried out a lethal military operation targeting the leader of the transnational criminal group 'Tren de Aragua', originally founded in Venezuela. According to Trump’s post on his social media platform Truth Social, the gang’s leader, Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores, known as 'Nino Guerrero', was killed in the strike. He stated that the 'swift and deadly' operation was conducted in coordination with Venezuelan authorities, though he did not specify the location of the attack.

Trump’s reference to Venezuelan authorities likely pointed to the interim government led by President Delcy Rodríguez, who has been in office since January after the removal of Nicolás Maduro. A 10-second video accompanying Trump’s post showed an aerial view of a building surrounded by greenery, followed by an explosion and smoke, though no individuals were visible in the footage.

The United States has designated 'Tren de Aragua' as a terrorist organization, noting its activities across Colombia, Peru, and Chile.

Venezuelan opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia, who claims to be the rightful winner of the 2024 presidential election against Nicolás Maduro, has called for a new national vote. The 76-year-old former diplomat, now exiled in Spain, made the appeal on Saturday, expressing support for fellow opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado, who also demands a fresh election. Several countries, including the United States, had recognized González as the legitimate winner, according to AFP.

Following a U.S. military operation in January that removed Maduro from power, his deputy Delcy Rodríguez assumed leadership of Venezuela. The 2024 election, widely dismissed by opposition groups and many nations as fraudulent, had declared Rodríguez the winner. The U.S. administration under President Donald Trump reportedly accepted her rule due to her cooperation with Washington’s demands.

González’s renewed call for elections adds pressure on both Venezuelan authorities and Washington to support a democratic transition. Machado, also in exile and labeled a fugitive by Caracas, praised González’s commitment and reiterated her determination to negotiate a democratic path forward with Rodríguez, urging U.S. assistance in the process.

In Venezuela’s western Barinas prison, inmates climbed onto the roof on Sunday to stage a protest against alleged mistreatment by prison authorities. They burned mattresses and bedsheets as part of their demonstration and accused guards of shooting unarmed prisoners, leaving several injured. Protesters demanded the removal of the prison director, and video footage reportedly showed one inmate with a gunshot wound to the chest while others chanted for justice and an end to abuse.

Tensions also spread outside the prison as relatives of inmates clashed with members of the National Guard while attempting to enter the facility. Witnesses reported hearing screams and explosions from inside the prison during the unrest.

A Venezuelan prison monitoring organization stated that it is documenting the incident and sharing information with human rights groups. Authorities have not yet issued any official statement regarding the situation.

Venezuela has deported former industry minister and close associate of ousted president Nicolás Maduro, Alex Saab, to the United States for the second time. The country’s immigration authorities confirmed the move on Saturday, stating that Saab, a Colombian national, faces allegations of involvement in various criminal activities in the United States that have drawn international attention.

According to a statement from Venezuela’s immigration administration, the decision to expel Saab was based on these allegations. News agency AFP reported that Saab, born in Colombia, developed close ties with the Venezuelan government during the final years of Hugo Chávez’s rule and later managed a major import network under Maduro’s administration. He was accused of acting as an intermediary and money launderer to support Maduro’s government and was granted Venezuelan citizenship and a diplomatic passport for his services.

Saab was first arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 on charges of money laundering and corruption before being extradited to the United States.

The Trump administration has completed the removal of 13.5 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Venezuela, according to a report by The Guardian citing the U.S. Department of Energy. The material was extracted from an old research reactor located about 15 kilometers from Caracas and transported to a secure facility in South Carolina. The operation was conducted jointly by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela, with the International Atomic Energy Agency describing it as a highly sensitive and complex mission.

Venezuelan authorities stated that the uranium was removed due to increased security risks following a U.S. military operation in January. Brandon Williams, head of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, said the action sent an important message about global security and nuclear risk control. The report also noted that the Trump administration has been seeking to rebuild relations with Venezuela, reopening diplomatic channels, trade flights, and embassy operations.

Analysts cited in the report said the administration’s broader strategy remains focused on pressuring Iran to relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium, though no lasting agreement has yet been reached.

At least five inmates were killed during a riot at Venezuela’s high-security Yare-3 prison, located about 70 kilometers from the capital Caracas. The country’s Penitentiary Services Ministry confirmed the incident, which occurred on Monday, stating that clashes among prisoners escalated into a violent riot. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the deaths, though no details about injuries or further circumstances were released.

Venezuela’s prison system has long faced criticism for overcrowding, insecurity, and the influence of criminal gangs inside facilities. Following the ouster of former leader Nicolás Maduro in January, a U.S.-backed administration took power and recently released at least 46 political prisoners from the same Yare complex. The Yare prison complex consists of three separate facilities, with Yare-2 known for housing political detainees.

The riot underscores ongoing instability within Venezuela’s penal institutions despite previous military operations aimed at restoring state control over prisons.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have made their first social media post since being detained in the United States. The couple, held for about three months in a Brooklyn prison after being taken from Caracas by U.S. commandos, thanked their supporters and said they were well. The message, shared on Maduro’s X account, expressed gratitude for the love, letters, and prayers they had received, saying these had strengthened them spiritually. It remains unclear who posted the message on their behalf.

According to a source close to the Venezuelan government cited by AFP, Maduro reads the Bible in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where some inmates refer to him as “President.” The facility is known for its poor conditions. The source added that Maduro is allowed up to 15 minutes per phone call with his family and lawyers.

In their post, Maduro and Flores also praised the unity and solidarity of Venezuelans at home and abroad during this difficult time.

Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolás Maduro is scheduled to appear before a New York court on Thursday to face drug trafficking charges. His lawyers are expected to strongly request dismissal of the case. The Manhattan hearing comes as Washington gradually moves toward improving relations with Caracas. A key issue in the hearing will be who will cover Maduro’s legal expenses.

The Venezuelan government intends to pay his legal costs, but U.S. sanctions require Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, to obtain a government license to receive funds. Pollack argued in court filings that this licensing condition violates Maduro’s constitutional right to legal assistance and that the case should be dismissed on procedural grounds. Maduro, who ruled Venezuela since March 2013, was ousted in a U.S. operation on January 3 and is now held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.

Pollack said the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control initially granted but later revoked a license allowing him to accept payment. He has filed an objection and warned he will formally complain if no action is taken, noting Maduro cannot otherwise afford legal representation.