Venezuelan navy escorts ships following Trump's blockade threat - report

Venezuela deployed naval escorts for ships carrying oil byproducts departing its ports following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of a "total and complete blockade," The New York Times reported.

"Several ships sailed from Venezuela toward Asia with a Venezuelan naval escort between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, said three people familiar with the transits. None of the commercial vessels are on the list of sanctioned tankers the United States is threatening to target," the report reads.

A US official confirmed that Washington is aware of the escorts, and various courses of action are being considered.

Earlier, Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. He continues demanding Maduro step down, maintaining all options, including military force, remain on the table amid massive force buildup in the region.

The U.S. has carried out 25 known strikes on alleged "narco-terrorist" seaborne vessels, killing 95 people in attacks in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean since September.

The standoff escalated when U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast on December 10.