Trump seizes Venezuelan uranium as Iran objective remains elusive

US President Donald Trump's administration has reportedly overseen the removal of highly enriched uranium from Venezuela, while its efforts to forcibly rob Iran of its enriched uranium remain unsuccessful.

The US Department of Energy announced on Friday that 13.5 kilograms of uranium had been removed from a legacy research reactor in Venezuela through a joint operation involving the United Kingdom as well.

The department said the operation was carried out "thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership" and described it as "a win for America, Venezuela, and the world."

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the uranium was "safely and securely transported by land and sea from South to North America" following, what it called, "a complex and sensitive operation." The material was transferred to a Department of Energy facility in South Carolina after being removed from a site near Caracas, it added.

On January 3, the US kidnapped Venezuela's democratically-elected President Nicolas Maduro following drawn-out blockade of the country under the pretext of fighting drug smuggling.

On February 28, the United States launched its latest bout of unprovoked aggression against Iran together with the Israeli regime, but was forced to announce a two-week lull in attacks 40 days later following at least 100 waves of decisive and successful Iranian retaliation.

Washington then extended the ceasefire, but has been trying to impose a naval blockade on the Islamic Republic in order to force the country to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz that Tehran has shut down in retaliation.

On Wednesday, though, Trump said he was "pausing" an operation supposedly aimed at forcibly reopening the waterway as the Islamic Republic continued to enforce strict controls over the chokepoint despite American pressure.

Throughout the entire episode, Trump has repeatedly referred to seizure of Iran's enriched uranium as a key objective of Washington's aggression, a goal it has fallen short of realizing.

On April 7, Press TV reported that an earlier US-led operation in Iran’s Isfahan Province, which had been intended to infiltrate and attack an Iranian nuclear facility rather than rescue a downed pilot as initially claimed by US officials, ended in "a major strategic defeat" for American forces.

According to the report, Iranian forces had anticipated the operation and ambushed US special forces after C-130 aircraft landed near the targeted site. It added that several aircraft and helicopters were damaged or destroyed and that US forces were ultimately forced into a hurried evacuation.

The report further noted how Trump and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth rather attempted to portray the failed operation as a rescue mission through "Hollywood-style" narratives.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk