In a rare move, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to former US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, describing the gesture as “recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom.”

Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her leadership of Venezuela’s opposition during a crackdown by President Nicolás Maduro, particularly surrounding the controversial 2023 presidential election. Her visit to Washington came shortly after a US military operation on 3 January resulted in Maduro’s capture. The former Venezuelan leader and his spouse now face drug trafficking charges in New York.

“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters as she left the White House. Trump confirmed the meeting on social media, calling Machado “a wonderful woman who has been through so much” and saying the presentation was “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”

Although Machado’s action is unusual for a living laureate to part with her medal shortly after receiving it, it is not without precedent. The Nobel Foundation’s statutes allow winners to give away their physical medal or diploma, but the title itself remains solely with the recipient and cannot be legally transferred.

Several previous laureates have donated, sold, or auctioned their medals under extraordinary circumstances. Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, who shared the 2021 Peace Prize with Maria Ressa, sold his medal in 2022 for $103.5 million (€89.1 million), donating all proceeds to UNICEF for Ukrainian child refugees after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Historical examples include Nobel medals used for humanitarian purposes during wartime. Danish physicists Niels Bohr and August Krogh saw their medals auctioned to aid Finnish civilians during the Winter War of 1939-40. German physicists Max von Laue and James Franck entrusted their medals to Bohr to prevent them from falling into Nazi hands; the medals were later recovered and recast by the Nobel Foundation.

Not all medal gestures were humanitarian. Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, Nobel laureate in Literature in 1920, reportedly gave his medal to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels during World War II, damaging his reputation permanently.

More recently, Nobel medals have been sold at auction for philanthropic or personal reasons. James D. Watson, co-discoverer of DNA’s structure and a 1962 laureate, sold his medal in 2014 for $4.8 million (€4.13 million) to support scientific research. Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov later returned it to Watson in 2015. Other sales include Norman Angell’s Peace Prize medal, now held at London’s Imperial War Museum, and Aage Bohr’s 1975 Physics medal, sold at auction in 2011 and 2019.

Some laureates instead donate their prize money. Albert Einstein’s 1921 Nobel earnings went to his family under a pre-arranged divorce settlement. Mother Teresa directed her 1979 Peace Prize funds to the poor, and Paul Greengard used his 2000 Nobel prize money to establish an award supporting women scientists.

Machado’s presentation of her medal to Trump adds a contemporary chapter to the complex history of Nobel laureates parting with their physical awards, highlighting both symbolic gestures and humanitarian or political intentions.

Iran restricted its airspace to commercial aircraft for more than four hours early Thursday, with no explanation provided, as tensions with the United States escalated over Tehran’s crackdown on domestic demonstrations. The closure disrupted a key East-West flight corridor, forcing international carriers to reroute north and south of the country.

“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” said SafeAirspace, a website that tracks conflict zones and aviation risks. “The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defence, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.”

The disruption affected both international and domestic flights, with some domestic services resuming just after 7 a.m. local time. The closure coincided with advisory notices for US personnel in the region. Some staff at a key US military base in Qatar were instructed to evacuate, while the US embassy in Kuwait ordered employees to “temporarily halt” travel to multiple bases across the Gulf.

The airspace restrictions echoed a similar measure during the 12-day conflict with Israel in June, when Iran temporarily shut its skies amid exchanges of fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

The announcement followed remarks from US President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday stated that he had not ruled out military action against Iran. Trump also claimed that plans for executions of detainees in Iran had been halted, without providing supporting details. “We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping — it’s stopped — it’s stopping. And there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions — so I’ve been told that on good authority,” Trump said at the White House.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged a diplomatic approach. “My message is: Between war and diplomacy, diplomacy is a better way, although we don’t have any positive experience from the United States. But still diplomacy is much better than war,” he said.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that nearly 3,500 people have been killed during the security crackdown on protests in Iran. Insiders speaking to Euronews suggest the death toll could be considerably higher, with estimates reaching up to 15,000 as Iranian authorities intensify actions against demonstrators.

Earlier this week, Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on countries doing business with Tehran and called on Iranians to continue protesting, warning that “help is on the way” and his administration would “act accordingly.” The US president has not clarified what forms of military or other measures might be taken, leaving the scope of potential action uncertain.

The latest airspace closure and security alerts underscore growing instability in the Gulf region as US-Iran tensions remain high, with international airlines, military personnel, and regional governments closely monitoring the situation.