Nicolás Maduro

"The torture, ill-treatment, and acts of sexual violence we have verified were not isolated incidents. They form part of a pattern of abuse used to punish and break victims," said head of UN mission.

Officials, speaking with Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said the US Coast Guard led the operation, and did not name the tanker or where the interdiction took place.

After Trump told reporters repeatedly that a land attack would start "very soon," a group of senators filed a resolution to block US military action against Venezuela without congressional approval.

“I want those boats taken out, and if necessary, we’ll attack on land as well as at sea. We’re taking those individuals out,” Trump said.

When societies struggle, many leaders find it easier to blame Jews than fix their own problems, as Venezuela demonstrates today

The Venezuelan government has previously said that nearly 14,000 Venezuelans had returned home from the US on the flights between February and November.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is running out of paths to step down and leave Venezuela under US protection, sources say.

Trump told military service members last week that the US would "very soon" begin land operations to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.

Venezuela plans to mount a guerrilla-style resistance or sow chaos in the event of a US air or ground attack, sources and planning documents seen by Reuters show.

Venezuela's communications ministry, which handles all press inquiries for the government, did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Trump's post.

The newspaper added that there were no plans at the moment for such a meeting, which, if it occurred, would be the first-ever encounter between the authoritarian Venezuelan leader and a US president.