Venezuela threatens ICC withdrawal over ‘imperialist interference’

Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said his country is considering withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), denouncing the institution’s “subservience” to imperialist agendas.

Speaking at the People’s Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of Our America, Rodríguez warned that any foreign military aggression would be met with force.

“Should any aggression dare to enter the sacred territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, rest assured that we must defend it with our lives,” he declared, emphasizing national unity behind President Nicolás Maduro, including those outside the revolutionary camp.

Rodríguez denounced what he called a “brutal aggression” from the United States, including the deployment of 22% of the US Navy’s forces to the Caribbean under the pretext of anti-drug operations.

“This is Monroe Doctrine 2.0,” he said, accusing Washington of using an “extravagant narrative” to justify military pressure and isolate Venezuela.

Trump threatened Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico: Ivan Gil
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Iván Gil added that US President Donald Trump had threatened to bomb Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico, calling the rhetoric part of a wider strategy to impose imperialist hegemony in Latin America.

“But we have already triumphed over empires,” Gil stated, citing the Venezuelan people’s resistance, mobilization, and deep love for their land.

He described US actions as a “psychological war” waged through economic, media, and military means, but stressed that global solidarity with Venezuela is growing.

Venezuela and Latin America are on alert
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López warned that Venezuela and the broader Latin American region remain on alert, saying the goal of US imperialism is to regain control over the region’s resources using both military and economic pressure.

“Imperialism seeks to subjugate the peoples of the region once again,” Padrino said.

Earlier, Interior Minister and senior PSUV leader Diosdado Cabello said that the Bolivarian Revolution faces a daily, unarmed confrontation against constant American threats and pressures.

“What’s happening in Venezuela is a true people’s victory,” Cabello asserted.

Rodríguez condemns sanctions, cites humanitarian impact
Rodríguez also highlighted the humanitarian impact of the 962 unilateral US sanctions, which he said have devastated Venezuela’s economy, slashed income by 99%, and disrupted food and medicine supplies.

He singled out the US seizure of CITGO assets, which previously funded complex surgeries for children through the Simón Bolívar program. He accused former opposition figure Juan Guaidó of misappropriating these funds to purchase “mansions,” calling his self-declared presidency a “Narnia government.”

Rodríguez reaffirmed Venezuela’s identity as a nation of peace, citing President Maduro’s initiative to establish a National Council for Peace. However, he stressed that this is not a submissive peace:

“This is not the peace of the subservient or enslaved, but of free men and women and sovereign peoples.”

The People’s Assembly for Peace and Sovereignty of Our America opened in Caracas on December 9 at the Venezuela Hall of the Military Circle. The international event includes delegations from across continents, aimed at building solidarity among countries of the Global South.