CARACAS: A tense calm hangs over Venezuela after the US military operation that deposed President Nicolas Maduro, who was brought to New York to face criminal charges.

President Donald Trump said the US would “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

Maduro and his wife landed late Saturday afternoon at a small airport in New York. The couple face US charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela's autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval. Venezuela's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country's rightful leader as her nation's high court named her interim president.

Here's the latest:

Iran warns the US against military action

Associated Press video on Sunday shows a banner now on display in Iran's capital, warning the United States and Israel that their soldiers could be killed if they take action in the country.

Trump's recent comment that the US “will come to their rescue” if Iran kills peaceful protesters has taken on a new meaning after the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran.

Iran's Foreign Ministry has condemned the “illegal US attack against Venezuela.” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said adversaries of the US should note that “America can project our will anywhere, anytime.”

Protests against Trump's plans in Venezuela pop up across the US

From California to Missouri and Texas, protestors are planning demonstrations Sunday and through the week against President Donald Trump's military operation and capture of Maduro, which one protest description called “the illegal, unconstitutional invasion of Venezuela.”

Dozens appear to be organised by chapters of Indivisible, a left-leaning group, and many take umbrage with Trump's plans to take control of Venezuela's oil industry and ask American companies to revitalise it.

What congressional leaders and governors say about the Venezuela operation

US Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa who serves as Senate president pro tempore, posted on X Saturday that Maduro is a narco-terrorist and his drug trafficking resulted in the deaths of too many Americans. He likened the Trump operation to then-President George Bush's decision in 1989 to capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega following his indictment for drug trafficking.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat and one of President Donald Trump's most outspoken critics, posted that US military action in Venezuela is unconstitutional and is putting troops in harm's way with no long-term strategy. “The American people deserve a President focused on making their lives more affordable,” Pritzker wrote.

US Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, posted a statement on X calling the strikes illegal and criticising Trump for taking action without congressional approval. “The President does not have the unilateral authority to invade foreign countries, oust their governments, and seize their resources,” she wrote.

French foreign minister calls for return to democracy in Venezuela

France's foreign minister says the departure of President Nicolas Maduro “is good news for the Venezuelans” and called for a peaceful and democratic transition of power.

Jean-Noel Barrot said, “Maduro was an unscrupulous dictator who confiscated Venezuelans' freedom and stole their elections.”

“Then, yes, we pointed out that the method used infringes the principles of international law,” Barrot said about the US military operation on France 2 national television.

Schumer says Maduro was horrible, but criticises regime change

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader, called Maduro “a horrible, horrible person” but added, “You don't treat lawlessness with other lawlessness. And that's what's happened.”

“We have learned through the years that, when America tries to regime change and nation-building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and results,” Schumer told ABC's “This Week.”