Trump releases first image of first image of Venezuela's captured Nicolás Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima

Donald Trump shared the first photo of captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro aboard the US warship USS Iwo Jima on his Truth Social platform after his capture by the US armed forces during a massive midnight operation in Caracas and several other parts of the country. The picture showed the now-deposed Venezuelan president handcuffed and blindfolded.

Earlier, President Donald Trump told Fox & Friends Weekend that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were taken by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima following their capture in Caracas on Saturday morning.

During the interview, when asked about the whereabouts of the couple, Trump replied, “Well, they'll be heading to New York.” When Jenkins clarified if they were taken to a ship first, Trump confirmed: “Yes, the Iwo Jima. They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter on a nice flight.”

Hours after the operation, the US president, during a press conference on Saturday from his Mar-a-Lago estate that the United States will "run" Venezuela until a political transition can occur, after the spectacular US military operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from the country.

Also Read: US will be ‘strongly involved’ in Venezuela oil industry, Trump says after Maduro’s capture

"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump told a press conference, adding that US forces were ready to conduct a second, "much bigger" wave of strikes if necessary.

Venezuela, home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has long been at odds with the United States. Washington has justified its pressure campaign through the language of the “war on drugs,” allegations of dictatorship, and accusations of communist rule, even as control over Venezuela’s vast oil resources has remained a central underlying issue.