US Removes Enriched Uranium from Venezuela Reactor in Major Nuclear Security Operation
The United States has successfully removed all enriched uranium from a research reactor in Venezuela and transported the nuclear material to South Carolina in what officials are describing as a major nuclear security operation. The move significantly reduces proliferation risk associated with the ageing Venezuelan facility.
The operation, conducted in coordination with international nuclear security partners, involved the careful extraction and transfer of fissile material that had remained at the Venezuelan reactor site under conditions of deteriorating institutional oversight. The transfer to a secure US facility eliminates the risk of diversion or theft of weapons-usable material.
Venezuela's research reactor has been a long-standing concern for non-proliferation experts, particularly given the country's political trajectory and weakened regulatory infrastructure in recent years. The successful extraction represents a significant counterproliferation achievement for the US Department of Energy and associated agencies.
The operation is part of a broader US-led global effort to secure vulnerable nuclear material at research reactors and storage sites in politically unstable or high-risk countries. Similar operations have been conducted across Eastern Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia over the past two decades.
The enriched uranium will be secured and processed at a licensed facility in South Carolina. Officials have not disclosed the quantity of material removed, but the completion of the operation is expected to be formally acknowledged through official channels in the coming days.
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