The leader of Venezuela's Roman Catholic Church called Tuesday for an immediate halt to the persecution of government employees suspected of sympathizing with the opposition. Cardinal Jorge Urosa's appeal in a radio interview came amid opposition charges that government workers were being harassed and threatened with dismissal if they were found to have voted against President Nicolas Maduro.

The United States on Tuesday denied charges it was considering sanctions against Venezuela over its disputed election after the country's left-leaning leader warned of retaliation. "I'm not aware of any particular effort afoot in terms of sanctions on Venezuela at this point," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters. President Nicolas Maduro, heir to the late firebrand Hugo Chavez, on Monday accused the United States of threatening Venezuela as he swore in a cabinet after he was declared the victor of the election by a razor-thin margin.

Venezuela stepped up attacks on the United States Monday, threatening retaliatory measures affecting trade and energy if Washington resorts to sanctions in a row over the country's disputed presidential election. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua leveled the warning after a senior State Department official was quoted as urging Venezuela to recount the votes in the April 14 election to give the public confidence in the result.

Venezuela threatened Monday to take measures affecting energy and trade if the United States resorts to sanctions in a row over the disputed presidential election in Caracas earlier this month. "If the United States takes recourse to economic sanctions, or sanctions of any other kind, we will take measures of a commercial, energy, economic and political order that we consider necessary," Foreign Minister Elias Jaua warned in a television interview.