The U.S. Department of Energy announced Friday that it has successfully removed 30 pounds (13.5 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium from a research reactor in Venezuela and transported the material to South Carolina.

The uranium was taken from Venezuela's RV-1 reactor in Caracas as part of what the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) described as a nuclear security operation. The material will be reused in the United States.

According to the NNSA, the removal operation was completed within a matter of weeks in May. The agency characterized the mission as addressing nuclear security concerns related to the Venezuelan facility.

The amount removed from Venezuela represents a small fraction compared to uranium stockpiles held by other countries. Iran, for example, currently possesses approximately 408 kilograms of enriched uranium according to international monitoring agencies.

The operation comes amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Venezuela, though the uranium removal appears to be focused on nuclear security rather than broader diplomatic issues. Research reactors like the RV-1 typically use highly enriched uranium for scientific and medical purposes.

The Department of Energy credited the successful operation to coordination between multiple agencies, though specific details about the logistics and timeline of the removal were not disclosed for security reasons.