The U.S. government has said that it will not tolerate its adversaries, China, Russia, Iran and others, exploiting mineral resources in Venezuela and other countries in the Western Hemisphere, the way they do in Nigeria and other African countries.

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, made this statement in an interview with NBC on Monday, while speaking on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Asked if the U.S. military capture of Mr Maduro had anything to do with controlling the country’s oil resources, Mr Rubio said: “We don’t need to for the purpose of backup, we have plenty of oil. But what we are not going to allow is the oil industry of Venezuela to be run by adversaries of the United States.”

The U.S. Secretary of State said other U.S. adversaries should be questioned over their alignment with Venezuela, adding that the U.S. will not allow its rivals to control resources or establish military bases in the Western Hemisphere.

“You have to understand, why does China need their oil? Why does Russia need their oil? Why does Iran need their oil? They are not even on this continent. This is Western Hemisphere,” Mr Rubio said.

He added: “This is where we live – and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States. We want the proceeds of the oil of that country to benefit people of Venezuela.”

Speaking on mineral exploitation in Africa, the Secretary of State said: “You know, we’ve seen how our adversaries all over the world are exploiting and extracting resources from Africa, from every other country. They’re not going to do it in the Western Hemisphere. They are not. That’s not going to happen under President Trump.”

Mr Maduro’s capture by U.S. forces in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, on Saturday, following heavy airstrikes by the U.S. military, has sparked reactions from global leaders across continents.

The UK and French governments have lauded Mr Trump’s action, describing Mr Maduro as an illegitimate leader, while the Venezuelan government condemned the arrest. Similarly, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs opposed the invasion of Venezuela and the arrest of Mr Maduro.

However, Mr Maduro appeared in court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and other charges.