Washington has hailed the operation as a major security victory amid its standoff with Iran over a far larger stockpile The US has triumphantly announced that it has removed highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Venezuela in what the US Department of Energy (DOE) hailed as a victory for America and “the world.” In a statement on Friday, the DOE said it had completed the “removal of all remaining enriched uranium from a legacy research reactor” in the South American nation and transferred it to the US for processing and reuse. The quantity removed was 13.5 kg (30 pounds). The move “sends another signal to the world of a restored and renewed Venezuela,” the statement reads. It also hails “[US] President [Donald] Trump’s decisive leadership” on the issue. Washington rebooted relations with Caracas after US forces abducted and imprisoned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January over narcoterrorism allegations.…