Unable to Contain Iran, US Seizes Enriched Uranium from Venezuela
Tom Phillips
The U.S. Department of Energy seized 13.5 kg of highly enriched uranium from an old Venezuelan research reactor, part of a joint operation with the UK and Venezuela. The success comes amid failed attempts to pressure Iran over its much larger stockpile of 408 kg. The operation also aligns with Trump's reengagement with Caracas, raising both hopes for trade and criticism over his backing of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
President Donald Trump's administration has succeeded in removing the highly enriched uranium stockpile of one country, but that country is not Iran—it is Venezuela.
On April 4, the U.S. Department of Energy declared that, “thanks to President Trump's decisive leadership,” 13.5 kg (about 30 pounds) of uranium were removed from an old research reactor in Venezuela. The joint operation involving the UK, the US, and Venezuela was described as a “victory for the US, Venezuela, and the world.”
Brandon Williams, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) within the Energy Department, said: “The safe removal of all enriched uranium from Venezuela sends another signal to the world about a restored and renewed Venezuela.” The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called it “a complex and sensitive operation,” noting the uranium had been “safely and securely transported by road and sea from South America to North America.” The material was taken to the Energy Department's complex in South Carolina after being retrieved from a site about 15 km from the capital Caracas.
The move followed Trump's controversial decision on January 3 to effectively detain Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The White House has reengaged with longtime rivals in Caracas. President Trump recognized Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, threatened the Venezuelan interim leader with a fate worse than Maduro's if he did not comply with U.S. demands, and opened the country to American energy and mining companies.
A string of high-level Trump administration officials have flown to Venezuela, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Late last month, a U.S. commercial flight landed in the South American nation for the first time in more than seven years. The U.S. embassy also just reopened.
Business leaders welcomed a new era in U.S.-Venezuela trade relations, with the country holding the world’s largest proven oil reserves. However, pro-democracy activists criticized Trump's decision to back Rodríguez and sideline exiled opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado.
One of Trump's main objectives after clashing with Iran in February was to force Tehran to give up some 408 kg of highly enriched uranium. Those efforts have so far failed.
