The United States removed 13.5 kilograms of enriched uranium from Venezuela in an operation supervised by the IAEA. The material was in a reactor that had been deactivated since 1991 and was transported to a US facility in South Carolina in early May 2026.
The uranium was stored in a reactor at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research that operated for three decades until being deactivated in 1991. The operation gained urgency after the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro in January, when bombings affected institute facilities located 50 meters from the reactor.
13.5 kilograms of enriched uranium were transferred from Venezuela to the United States
The operation was supervised by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)
Covered by only some sources, or where the accounts diverge.
Covered by only some sources (4)
Venezuela had requested the removal of the material from the IAEA for years
The uranium will be processed and reused by the US Department of Energy
The January operation increased the risk level and confirmed the urgency of the removal
The bombing affected IVIC facilities 50 meters from the reactor
No gaps declared — all sources converge on the material facts.