Interim Venezuelan Leader Alleges U.S. Demanded Compliance Within 15 Minutes or They Would Be Killed

Venezuela’s Acting President Claims U.S. Forces Gave 15‑Minute Ultimatum After Maduro’s Capture.

Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has claimed that after former president Nicolás Maduro was captured, U.S. forces gave senior officials 15 minutes to comply with American demands “or they would kill us,” according to a leaked recording of a closed-door meeting.

The recording, obtained by local journalists and released by La Hora de Venezuela, captures a two-hour meeting held a week after the U.S. operation. Rodríguez said that she, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and her brother, congressional president Jorge Rodríguez, were warned from the start that refusal could be fatal.

“They told us Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been killed, not kidnapped,” she said. “We were ready to share the same fate. We have to proceed with patience and strategic prudence, with clear objectives: preserve peace, rescue hostages, and maintain political power.”

Rodríguez stressed that her cooperation with U.S. demands was driven by “constant threats and blackmail,” rather than voluntary alignment, even as former U.S. president Donald Trump publicly praised her leadership.

Political analysts caution that Rodríguez may be shaping the narrative to justify her actions and maintain influence within the regime. Historian Margarita López Maya told The Guardian that Maduro’s removal likely involved internal complicity, and Rodríguez’s account could be designed to protect herself.

Since Maduro’s capture, Rodríguez has assumed control of the government, complying with U.S. requests, while Trump has signaled support for her leadership in exchange for access to Venezuela’s oil resources.