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In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump warned that his administration had \"all options\" on the table on how to further respond to the situation.

\"We're not considering anything, but all options are on the table,\" Trump told reporters. \"All options, always. All options are on the table.\"

Earlier in the day, the White House released a statement from Trump calling Venezuela's National Assembly \"the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people.\"

\"The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law,\" the statement said. \"We continue to hold the illegitimate Maduro regime directly responsible for any threats it may pose to the safety of the Venezuelan people.\"

Maduro responded by breaking relations with the U.S. and ordering all American diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours.

But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that would not happen.

\"The regime of former president Nicolas Maduro is illegitimate. His regime is morally bankrupt, it's economically incompetent, and it is profoundly corrupt. It is undemocratic to the core,” Pompeo said during a special meeting of the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. “We therefore consider all of its declarations and actions illegitimate and invalid.\"

The tensions between Maduro and the Trump administration could have dangerous consequences, Ciccariello-Maher said.

\"The danger of this standoff is the next step would be for the Venezuelan government to detain U.S. diplomatic officials who are not welcome in the country, but maybe this is what Trump wants. Maybe he is looking for an excuse to take a more aggressive action,\" Ciccariello-Maher said.

But Ramsey said he doesn't believe the U.S. wants to use a military option.

\"I think the people of the National Security Council and in Department of State fully understand that military intervention in Venezuela would be a disaster. It would be a logistical nightmare and a complete bloodbath, most likely,\" Ramsey said.

\"PHOTO:
Frederico Parra/AFP/Getty Images
PHOTO: People raise their hands during a mass opposition rally against President Nicolas Maduro in in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 23, 2019.
>

Concerns about a civil war

Many on both sides are worried that the situation in Venezuela could deteriorate into a civil war or a return to military rule, which the country endured between 1948 and 1958, and during which many suffered incarceration, torture and murder.

Main said the dispute over U.S. diplomats has made both sides harden their stances and decreased the possibility of peaceful dialogue.

\"This is hardening positions on both sides of Venezuela. It's creating, obviously, within Venezuela, a siege mentality, certainly on the government side, where they feel they could be invaded at any time when you have Trump and others in the administration suggesting a military option is possible,\" Main said. \"This context, a very polarized context, makes it really impossible to go anywhere with dialogue, which is unfortunate.\"

\"The U.S. doesn't seem to be interested in dialogue, it seems to be interested in regime change at any cost and the complete elimination of Chavismo at any cost,\" Main added, referring to the leftist ideology espoused by Hugo Chavez. \"Maduro still has a significant base in poor neighborhoods in the country. You really can't imagine a coup taking place without a subsequent internal conflict that could be very bloody and very enduring.\"

\"PHOTO:
Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters
PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attends a rally in support of his government and to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the end of the dictatorship of Marcos Perez Jimenez next to his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 23, 2019.
>

Some countries -- including Spain and Vatican City -- have offered in the past to serve as mediators between Maduro and the opposition. But whether both sides can find their way to the negotiating table remains to be seen, and experts say there are no quick fixes.

\"Dialogue, while necessary, is not going to solve the economic situation. So while you need a ratcheting down of political tensions, you also need a more decisive change on the economic front,\" Ciccariello-Maher said.

A grim economic reality continues on the streets of Caracas even as the country's political future remains uncertain.

\"It's confusing, because the feeling is that things are moving quickly on the political side and the situation in the streets is still the same,\" Fermin said. \"You will find people looking through garbage this morning, and you will find people who don't have electricity or anything else, and that's the problems the people want to be solved. The feeling is we want to change.\"

ABC News' Victoria Moll-Ramirez, Conor Finnegan and Esther Castillejo contributed to this report.

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