US Transfers Enriched Uranium from Venezuelan to its Own Facilities

(MENAFN) The United States has completed the transfer of a small stockpile of highly enriched uranium from Venezuela to its own facilities, describing the operation as part of broader nuclear safety and nonproliferation efforts.

According to US energy officials, a total of 13.5 kilograms (about 30 pounds) of enriched uranium was removed from a former research reactor in Venezuela and transported to the United States for processing and reuse. The material came from a long-shut civilian reactor near Caracas that had been part of a Cold War-era scientific program established under international cooperation frameworks.

Officials involved in the operation said the shipment was carried out in coordination with international nuclear safety bodies and Venezuelan scientific authorities. The uranium had remained in storage after the reactor ceased operations in the early 1990s, and was classified as surplus material.

US nuclear security authorities described the operation as a routine but important step in reducing the presence of enriched uranium outside tightly controlled environments, arguing that even small civilian stockpiles can present long-term security risks if not properly managed.

The material was packaged, transported overland to a Venezuelan port, and then shipped to a US facility for further handling. The operation was presented as part of ongoing international efforts to consolidate and secure civilian nuclear materials worldwide.

Officials also pointed to broader geopolitical tensions, noting that the move comes as Washington continues to face unresolved issues regarding far larger uranium stockpiles in other countries. However, they emphasized that the Venezuelan operation was separate and focused strictly on legacy civilian nuclear material rather than any active weapons program.

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