Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro is giving American diplomats 72 hours to abandon the country after breaking diplomatic relations with the U.S. over its decision to recognize an opposition leader as interim president.

“Before the people and nations of the world, and as constitutional president…..I’ve decided to break diplomatic and political relations with the imperialist U.S. government,” Maduro told a crowd of red-shirted supporters gathered at the presidential palace.

He made the announcement following a tumultuous day that saw Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled congress, declare himself interim president and call elections.

The move was immediately backed by the Trump administration, which said it was willing to use all its economic and diplomatic power to restore Venezuela’s democracy.

“In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant. The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law,” Trump said in a statement recognizing Guaido as interim president of Venezuela.

Maduro said in his speech the U.S. was making a “grave mistake” by trying to impose a president on Venezuela and rattled off a long list of countries _ Guatemala, Brazil, Chile and Argentina _ that saw leftist governments toppled or come under military rule during the Cold War with U.S. support.</s>"I decided to close the embassy and all the consulates of Venezuela in the United States," Maduro said in an address to the country's Supreme Court broadcast by VTV8 television.

Nicolas Maduro also said that he agrees with Mexico and Uruguay call for dialogue, Reuters reported.

Earlier, the Venezuelan Embassy in the United States stopped consular services due to the severance of diplomatic relations between the countries.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's ambassador to Moscow said that Caracas is not going to take any actions against US diplomats in Venezuela, who are going to lose their diplomatic immunity after the 72 hours given by Maduro to leave the country to avoid reciprocal reaction from Washington. Venezuelan Ambassador added that the US diplomats can stay if they want.

Previously, the US government recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president. Some countries made the same move, namely: Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru.

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Maduro said that Washington had attempted to stage a coup d'etat in Venezuela and announced his decision to cut off diplomatic relations with the United States.</s>Tense standoff between Washington and Caracas after Trump administration recognizes new president

A man walks past graffiti on the wall of a vacant lot that reads in Spanish: “Get out Maduro,” referring to President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Venezuelans headed into uncharted political waters Thursday, with the young leader of a newly united and combative opposition claiming to hold the presidency and Maduro digging in for a fight with the Trump administration. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

The Trump administration and the embattled government of Venezuela appeared headed for a potentially dangerous showdown Thursday after President Nicolas Maduro ordered U.S. diplomats out of the country and Washington refused to comply, saying they would stay put.

President Donald Trump recognized Maduro’s main opposition foe, Juan Guaido, on Wednesday as the legitimate president as tens of thousands of Venezuelans filled streets to protest the Maduro government.

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Trump’s move was quickly seconded by most countries in the hemisphere, including Canada, Brazil and Colombia —but notably not Mexico.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo was scheduled to speak to a special session of the Organization of American States in Washington on Thursday. He was expected to further recriminate Maduro and his corrupt socialist government and attempt to expand a coalition dedicated to his ouster.

The session is likely to carry its own tensions. Maduro’s representatives will attempt to be seated at the OAS session, and it’s not clear how Mexico, often a mediator, will respond.

International isolation of Venezuela has been key to pressuring the Maduro government but has not succeeded in causing significant change in his leftist policies or harsh crackdown on civil dissent.

A decisive factor will be whether Venezuela’s military decides to intervene.

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Thus far, the armed forces have remained loyal to Maduro. U.S. officials are hoping that the army’s loyalty will begin to crack as popular protests spread and Maduro appears increasingly isolated.

The diplomatic standoff with Washington represents a possibly volatile flashpoint, although there’s no sign that Trump plans to send U.S. troops, as U.S. presidents did in Latin America decades ago.

Maduro cut diplomatic ties with the United States and ordered American diplomats out of the country Wednesday. Pompeo said the U.S. government only recognizes Guaido, who wants to strengthen ties with the U.S.

“It could be a very dangerous situation,” said Benjamin Gedan, an expert on South America at the nonpartisan Wilson Center think tank in Washington.

Russia, China and Turkey sharply criticized the Trump administration’s actions, saying it was another attempt by the United States to interfere in the domestic politics of another country.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.</s>Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday, winning over the backing of the Washington and many Latin American nations and prompting socialist Nicolas Maduro to break relations with the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump formally recognized Guaido shortly after his announcement and praised his plan to hold elections. That was swiftly followed by similar statements from Canada and a slew of right-leaning Latin American governments, including Venezuela's neighbors Brazil and Colombia.

At a rally that brought hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans into the east of Caracas, Guaido said Maduro had usurped power and promised to create a transitional government that would help the country escape its hyperinflationary economic collapse.

"I swear to assume all the powers of the presidency to secure an end to the usurpation," 35-year old Guaido, the head of the opposition-run congress, told an exuberant crowd.

Guaido's declaration takes Venezuela into uncharted territory, with the possibility of the opposition now running a parallel government recognized abroad as legitimate but without control over state functions.

In a televised broadcast from the presidential palace, Maduro accused the opposition of seeking to stage a coup with the support of the United States, which he said was seeking to govern Venezuela from Washington.

"We've had enough interventionism, here we have dignity, damn it! Here is a people willing to defend this land," said Maduro, flanked by top Socialist Party leaders, although the defense minister and members of the military high command were absent.

Any change of government will rest on a shift in allegiance within the armed forces. So far, they have stood by Maduro through two waves of street protests and a steady dismantling of democratic institutions.

The office of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino did not answer a phone call seeking comment.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday rejected a move by Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro to break diplomatic ties, saying it did not think he had the authority to cut ties and it would conduct relations with a government led by opposition leader Juan Guaido.

“The United States maintains diplomatic relations with Venezuela and will conduct our relations with Venezuela through the government of interim President Guaido, who has invited our mission to remain in Venezuela,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

“The United States does not recognize the Maduro regime as the government of Venezuela. Accordingly the United States does not consider former president Nicolas Maduro to have the legal authority to break diplomatic relations.”</s>Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday that he’s breaking diplomatic relations with the United States after the Trump administration recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president.

Reuters reports that speaking to supporters outside the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, socialist leader Maduro said he would give U.S. diplomatic personnel 72 hours to leave Venezuela.

Canada has also joined the U.S. in recognizing Guaido as interim president, after Trump invited allies to do the same.

Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, is currently seeing protests to end the socialist regime of Maduro.</s>Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is giving American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country after breaking diplomatic relations with the U.S. over its decision to recognize an opposition leader as interim president.

"Before the people and nations of the world, and as constitutional president … I've decided to break diplomatic and political relations with the imperialist U.S. government," Maduro told a crowd of red-shirted supporters gathered at the presidential palace.

He made the announcement after a tumultuous day that saw Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled congress, declare himself interim president and call elections.

The move was immediately backed by the Trump administration, which said it was willing to use all its economic and diplomatic power to restore Venezuela's democracy.

Maduro said in his speech the U.S. was making a "grave mistake" by trying to impose a president on Venezuela and rattled off a list of countries — Guatemala, Brazil, Chile and Argentina — that saw leftist governments toppled or come under military rule during the Cold War with U.S. support.</s>On Wednesday, following US recognition of the virtually unknown Juan Guaido as Interim President of Venezuela, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gave all US diplomatic personnel 72 hours to leave the country. The following day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said before the Organization of American States that as the US no longer recognized Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, US diplomats weren't obliged to obey his dictates.

Guaido swore himself in as Interim President on Wednesday, just days after Maduro began his second term as president. He was reelected by a two-thirds majority in elections the previous May — elections that the US declared corrupt and illegitimate, but that international observers, including the Carter Center, hailed as free and fair.

The move followed days of violent protests and precipitated further acts of violence, including the torching of a regional party headquarters of Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) in the city of Maturin. At least two people died in Wednesday's violence, to which police and national guardsmen responded with tear gas and buckshot. Amid the opposition protests, pro-Maduro demonstrations were also held, which observers told Sputnik were at least equal in size to those of the opposition.</s>CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday he had ordered a “revision” of diplomatic relations with the United States and would announce new measures in the next few hours.

Maduro was responding to comments made earlier on Tuesday by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who gave his support to Venezuela’s opposition and called Maduro a “dictator with no legitimate claim to power.”</s>Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday night that the U.S. will continue diplomatic relations with Venezuela as President Nicolas Maduro does not have the legal authority to break diplomatic relations or to declare diplomats persona non grata.

The statement comes hours after Maduro broke off relations with the U.S. and ordered its diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours while accusing the U.S. of leading a coup to install a puppet presidency in the South American country.

"The United States does not recognize the Maduro regime as the government of Venezuela," Pompeo said in a statement.

Pompeo then called on the Venezuelan military and security forces to continue to protect its citizens and foreign nationals, stating that if their safety is threatened, the U.S. would respond.

"The United States will take appropriate actions to hold accountable anyone who endangers the safety and security of our mission and its personnel," Pompeo said.

Earlier Wednesday, President Donald Trump formally recognized the head of Venezuela's national Assembly - the opposition leader - Jaun Guaido, as interim president and encouraged the Maduro regime to accept a peaceful transition of power.

A senior official in the Trump administration official warned the Maduro regime that if it harmed Guaido or other National Assembly members, "all options are on the table in the U.S. in regards to actions to be taken." The announcement came as thousands of anti-government protesters and regime loyalists demonstrated on the streets.

The demonstrations happened two days after a military coup attempted to overthrow Maduro, who was sworn in for a second term this month.

Maduro won snap elections in May amid a boycott by opponents. The United States, European Union and neighboring Latin American countries called the election a fraud. Protesters opposed to Maduro's election support Guaido and want him to lead a transitional government until new elections are held.

A senior administration official, speaking to reporters during a background briefing call Wednesday, cited Article 2 of the Constitution giving the president the authority to recognize Guaido.

"In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country's Constitution to declare Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant," Trump said. "The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law."

The United States will continue to put economic and diplomatic pressure on the South American nation, Trump said. He's also urged other South and North American nations to support Guaido and work with him to restore a constitutional democracy.

A senior official said that if the Maduro regime takes actions against Guaido, the United States would impose further sanctions against Venezuela, adding that Washington had "barely scratched the surface" of economic punishment.

The official declined to further elaborate on other punishment options.

"When we say all options are on the table, we mean all options are on the table," he said.

Trump's announcement came one day after Vice President Mike Pence called Maduro a dictator who has no "legitimate claim to power."

"As the good people of Venezuela make your voices heard tomorrow, on behalf of the American people, we say: Estamos con ustedes [We are with you]," he added in a video posted to Twitter. "We are with you. We stand with you, and we will stay with you until Democracy is restored and you reclaim your birthright of [freedom]."

In response, Maduro called for a "total absolute revision" of Venezuela's diplomatic relations with the United States and said the country will make "political, diplomatic and defense decisions" to protect the country's democracy. He also accused Pence of inciting the coup attempt earlier this week.

"Never before has an official of the highest level come out in the name of his government -- he spoke on behalf of the president of the United States -- to say that in Venezuela, the opposition must overthrow the government," Maduro said in a televised message.

Guaido said his bid to replace Maduro is also backed by Venezuela's Constitution.

Wednesday's protests are about "reuniting the people to tell the world about the steps we're going to take to end the usurpation, to achieve a transitional government and a free election," he said.

The Venezuelan National Assembly pushed a bill Tuesday to offer amnesty for civilians and military officials who acted against Maduro. But the Venezuelan Supreme Court, in support of Maduro, ruled the National Assembly is illegitimate and its laws have no value.

Monday's coup attempt was quickly suppressed and 27 soldiers were arrested.

Venezuelan Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the mutiny was an attempt by soldiers to steal weapons and give them to opponents of the government "so they can carry out acts of violence, [cause] injuries and deaths during the protest."

The oil-rich nation squandered its wealth through mismanagement, wrecking its economy and pushing up to 3 million Venezuelans to flee the country since 2014.
President Nicolás Maduro says his government is breaking off diplomatic relations with the United States, giving American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country. Juan Guaidó, in turn, asks diplomats of countries that have recognized him as president to remain in Venezuela.