The US has successfully removed highly enriched uranium from Venezuela in a major international nuclear security operation involving the US, Britain, Venezuela, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), approximately 13.5 kilograms of highly enriched uranium were removed from Venezuela’s aging RV-1 research reactor near Caracas and transported to the Savannah River nuclear facility in South Carolina.
US officials described the operation as part of a broader effort to reduce global nuclear risks and prevent sensitive nuclear material from potentially falling into dangerous hands.
The uranium reportedly originated from a decades-old civilian research reactor and was enriched above 20%, meeting the international definition of “highly enriched uranium.”