Does Venezuela have nuclear weapons? Maduro's capture prompts conversations about country's nuclear power
The US’ strike on Venezuela, and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, have prompted conversations around nuclear power in the country.
The United States’ strike on Venezuela, and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, have prompted conversations around nuclear power in the country. Many have criticized US President Donald Trump’s actions, with Zohran Mamdani calling it “an act of war”.
Maduro, who is currently behind bars, faces federal charges related to drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. The Venezuelan President has denied the allegations.
Does Venezuela have nuclear weapons?
Venezuela became a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency in August 1957. The country signed the Treaty of Tlatelolco in 1967, which “prohibits Latin American states from acquiring, possessing, developing, testing or using nuclear weapons, and prohibits other countries from storing and deploying nuclear weapons on their territories,” according to The Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Venezuela signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1975, and also negotiated IAEA Safeguards Agreements covering all its nuclear activities in March 1982.
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Venezuela also signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) of the United Nations in 2017. TPNW includes “a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities,” states the UN, adding that these include “undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.”
“The Treaty also prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory and the provision of assistance to any State in the conduct of prohibited activities,” the UN adds.
Back in 2010, Venezuela announced plans to build a nuclear power station, with support from Russia. The country went on to sign two pacts with Russia – one for mutual collaboration on nuclear energy, and another for the purchase and installation of two nuclear reactors. These would include a research reactor to be used for medical and scientific purposes, and a nuclear power plant. However, following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced that plans to build a nuclear power plant were being halted.
The US’ capture of Nicolás Maduro
Maduro is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, which housed infamous inmates like music stars R. Kelly and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Trump has announced that the US is "going to run the country" until there is a "safe, proper and judicious transition" of power in Venezuela, according to CBS News.
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Meanwhile, the death toll from Saturday's US military strike in Venezuela has risen to 80, the New York Times reported on Sunday, January 4. The number could rise further, the outlet added, citing a senior Venezuelan official.
