"I took a decision to bring into action the Security Council in line with Article 323 of the Constitution to respond in an all-encompassing way to the threat of the empire (the US)," Maduro wrote.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced that if Venezuela’s authorities convened a Constituent Assembly, Washington would take "strong and swift economic actions."
Maduro’s decision to convene the Constituent Assembly without holding a preliminary referendum led to deterioration in the ongoing turmoil throughout the country. Since early April, Venezuela has been hit by a major series of protests against the president over the past years, TASS news agency reported.
The protests flared up after a decision by the Supreme Court to extend Maduro’s powers and limit the parliament’s. More than 90 people have died and another 1,500 have been wounded in the protests, and several thousand Venezuelans have been placed behind bars.