"I have decided to return all our diplomatic and consular staff from our country that is abroad and close our embassy and all of our consulates in the United States," Maduro said, during a speech at the Venezuela Supreme Court in Caracas that was aired live on state broadcaster VTV.
Maduro, who appeared wearing the presidential sash, said Venezuelan diplomatic staff was expected back in Caracas by Saturday and reiterated his demand for US diplomatic personnel to leave Venezuela.
"They have until Sunday, that is their 72-hour deadline to leave Venezuela. To get out of Venezuela," Maduro said. "I'm telling the State Department, in a sensible and rational way and based on international law, they must follow the order that has been issued by the Venezuelan government."
Maduro's announcement comes hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged all members of the Organization of American States to support the interim presidency of Juan Guaido in Venezuela, referring to Maduro's regime as "now defunct" and "illegitimate."
"We call on the OAS and all its member states to act on basic, decent democratic principles and the incontrovertible facts on the ground," Pompeo said.
"His regime is morally bankrupt, it's economically incompetent and it is profoundly corrupt," he added about Maduro. "It is undemocratic to the core."
His comments follow President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, as the country's interim president, a move that has set the stage for dramatic escalation in the coming days, as forces within and outside Venezuela wrestle to determine its future.
The European Union and several Latin American countries are also supporting Guaido.
China, Russia and Turkey have voiced support for Maduro.
Maduro responded to Trump's announcement by cutting ties with the US and ordering American diplomats to leave within 72 hours, an order that could lead to confrontation even as the White House dismissed it as "meaningless."
Thirty-five-year-old Guaido swore himself into office and declared that Maduro had been deposed -- though analysts say it's not clear the former bodyguard's fall is anywhere near imminent or that Trump's power play will pay off.
As Pompeo spoke at the OAS, White House national security adviser John Bolton told reporters on the North Lawn that Trump's assertion Wednesday that all options were on the table regarding the situation in Venezuela "speaks for itself."
"All options (are) on the table," Trump told reporters Wednesday when asked if he might use military force to ensure the outcome he wants in Venezuela. "All options, always, all options are on the table."
Bolton also said Thursday that the administration is focusing on disconnecting the Maduro regime from its sources of revenue.
"We think consistent with our recognition of Juan Guaido as the constitutional interim president of Venezuela that those revenues should go to the legitimate government. It's very complicated. We're looking at a lot of different things we have to do but that's in progress," Bolton said.
Regarding the US Embassy is Caracas, Bolton said personnel are still there and have "been invited to stay by the legitimate government and consistent with their safety that's our intention."
A senior State Department official told CNN Thursday that "there are no plans to close the embassy."
"We are closely monitoring the situation. Safety and security are, as always, a top priority," the official said.
Earlier Thursday, Venezuela's Armed Forces pledged allegiance to Maduro through written and video messages which aired on state broadcaster VTV.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino spoke Thursday from the Defense Ministry Headquarters in Caracas, saying the Armed Forces were standing by "the legitimate president" of Venezuela and accusing "the far right" of installing a "parallel de facto government" and leading a "coup against Venezuela's democracy."
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