The Trump administration will use "every tool" it has to free two Americans jailed in Venezuela for what its president, Nicolas Maduro, is calling a failed coup attempt.
Mr Maduro says the two Americans are "mercenaries" who were detained with ID cards for a US security firm. Donald Trump told reporters as he left the White House for Arizona on Tuesday that the US government had nothing to do with the men being in Venezuela.
The State Department said on Tuesday that US officials were working to learn more about why the two Americans were there.
Venezuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaido, and the government in neighbouring Colombia both denied having anything to do with the situation.
The United States and other countries recognise Mr Guaido as the country's rightful leader.
Along with saying the US government would use everything in its possession to free the two men, the top American diplomat had another muscular message on Wednesday.
"If we had been involved," Mr Pompeo said of any mission in the troubled South American country, "it would have gone much differently."
