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Venezuela - Weapons of Mass Destruction

Nuclear Weapons: Treaty Obligations and Safeguarded Civilian Activities

Venezuela's nuclear status is firmly anchored in multiple international legal frameworks that prohibit weapons development. The country is a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons with a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement tied to both the NPT and the regional nuclear-weapon-free zone established under the Treaty of Tlatelolco. The IAEA's legal country sheet confirms that Venezuela's CSA, registered as number 1467, remains in force, though notably no Additional Protocol is listed as being in force for Venezuela.³ The Treaty of Tlatelolco, which prohibits nuclear weapons throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, has bound Venezuela since the country's signature in 1967 and ratification in 1970, as documented by the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean.⁴

Venezuela's actual nuclear infrastructure is limited to legacy civilian facilities. The country operated a small 3-megawatt RV-1 research reactor from 1960 through 1991 at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research; this reactor was subsequently converted into a gamma-irradiation and sterilization plant known as Pegamma, representing classic peaceful-use nuclear technology rather than any weapons-related program.⁵ More recent IAEA cooperation with Venezuela has focused on radiation safety and orphan source recovery, again reflecting civilian nuclear and radiological safety work conducted under international oversight.⁶ The Nuclear Threat Initiative's country profile states explicitly that Venezuela "has never possessed" nuclear weapons and maintains no enrichment or reprocessing program in the public record.¹

The nuclear assessment for Venezuela therefore indicates a country bound by both global and regional non-proliferation treaties, subject to IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement monitoring, lacking an Additional Protocol for enhanced verification, and possessing only legacy, safeguarded civilian nuclear activities with no indicators of weapons-related work.

Chemical Weapons: Convention Participation Without Declared Stockpiles

Venezuela is a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and participates in activities of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, with no declared chemical weapons stockpile appearing in OPCW public materials.⁷ Venezuelan delegations engage regularly in OPCW policy sessions, where public statements emphasize national sovereignty and CWC compliance—rhetoric that, while political in nature rather than technical disclosure, remains consistent with the absence of any declared chemical weapons program.⁸ Like many industrialized nations, Venezuela maintains industrial chemical capacity for legitimate purposes including fertilizer production and petroleum derivatives, but under the CWC framework, scheduled chemicals and dual-use precursors are subject to controlled declarations and transfer procedures as outlined in OPCW guidance on preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons.⁹

The available evidence suggests Venezuela adheres to its Chemical Weapons Convention obligations as a State Party, with no public indication of a chemical weapons program or stockpile, while remaining subject to routine dual-use controls that apply to its legitimate chemical industry.

Biological Weapons: Convention Norms and Domestic Legal Prohibitions

Venezuela adheres to Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention norms, with independent tracking organizations documenting domestic legal prohibitions—both constitutional and statutory—against biological weapons development or possession.¹⁰ No credible public reports indicate the existence of an offensive biological weapons program. It should be noted that the BWC lacks the international inspection mechanisms present in the Chemical Weapons Convention's OPCW framework, meaning public assurance regarding biological weapons relies primarily on national implementation measures and open reporting by member states.¹¹ The available evidence on Venezuela's biological weapons status shows no open-source indicators of BW activity, with Venezuelan law reportedly criminalizing biological weapons-related activities.

Delivery Systems and Evolving Military Partnerships

While Venezuela possesses no documented WMD capabilities, the country's conventional delivery systems and air defense architecture have undergone significant modernization that merits examination in any comprehensive strategic assessment. Venezuela currently operates S-300VM (Antey-2500) long-range surface-to-air missile systems, with reports indicating deliveries of Buk-M2E systems and, most recently, Pantsir-S1 platforms claimed by Russian officials in early November 2025.¹² These systems substantially enhance Venezuela's air denial capabilities but represent defensive rather than offensive WMD-delivery platforms. Additionally, Venezuelan authorities publicly touted possession of MANPADS stockpiles, specifically Igla-S systems, in October 2025, raising concerns about airspace security risks in the region.¹³

More speculative reporting has emerged regarding potential long-range strike missiles. A Russian parliamentarian recently suggested that Moscow could provide Kalibr cruise missiles or "Oreshnik" systems to Venezuela, though these remain unverified political statements rather than confirmed transfers and should be treated as potential signaling rather than established fact.² Such claims require verification through intelligence collection or observed deliveries before being incorporated into operational assessments.

Venezuela's unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities represent another dimension of conventional delivery system development, with long-standing cooperation between Iran and Venezuela on UAV technology transfer well-documented in open sources. This includes assembly of Mohajer-2 and Mohajer-6 platforms at CAVIM facilities and associated training programs, providing Venezuela with conventional capabilities for precision strike and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.¹⁴ It bears noting that Venezuela is not a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime, the international framework designed to limit proliferation of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.¹⁵

The delivery system assessment indicates that Venezuela's conventional strike and defense options have improved substantially through foreign military cooperation, particularly with Russia and Iran, but there remains no WMD payload behind these systems. The strategic significance lies in enhanced conventional deterrence and anti-access/area denial capabilities rather than mass casualty weapons delivery.

International Assessments and Compliance Frameworks

Authoritative international organizations and governments frame Venezuela's WMD status consistently with the evidence outlined above. The Nuclear Threat Initiative states that "Venezuela has never possessed biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons" and does not maintain a ballistic missile program.¹ The IAEA's Office of Legal Affairs and OPANAL both confirm that Venezuela's legal and treaty record shows a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement in force along with Treaty of Tlatelolco obligations, representing key non-proliferation anchors.³ The OPCW recognizes Venezuela's member-state participation with no public indication of chemical weapons stockpiles.⁷ The U.S. State Department's 2024 Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments report, the latest publicly available baseline for country-by-country assessment of arms control compliance, does not announce a Venezuelan WMD program.¹⁶

Risk Indicators and Monitoring Priorities

While current evidence does not support the existence of Venezuelan WMD programs, several factors warrant continued monitoring as potential indicators of changing proliferation risk. First, Venezuela does not have an Additional Protocol to its IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement in force, meaning the Agency's verification authority remains at CSA-level only rather than the enhanced access provided by the Additional Protocol.³ Any Venezuelan moves toward sensitive fuel-cycle work, particularly uranium enrichment or plutonium reprocessing facilities, or unusual imports of specialized nuclear equipment, would warrant heightened scrutiny given this limited verification framework.

Second, expanded defense partnerships with Russia and Iran, particularly if rhetorical suggestions about strike missile transfers evolve into confirmed deliveries with observable evidence, could shift regional deterrence dynamics even in the absence of WMD.² The introduction of long-range precision strike capabilities would alter U.S. and partner nation force posture requirements in the Caribbean and northern South America regardless of payload type.

Third, potential growth in Venezuela's specialized chemical or biotechnology industries combined with poor transparency in dual-use declarations could raise compliance questions under both the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention. Both regimes rely heavily on national declarations and export controls, making transparency essential for confidence-building.⁹

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Venezuela possess or seek nuclear weapons? No available evidence supports nuclear weapons possession or pursuit. Venezuela is party to both the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Treaty of Tlatelolco regional nuclear-weapon-free zone, operates under IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement verification (though without an Additional Protocol in force), and its historic research reactor has been decommissioned and converted to peaceful uses.³

Is there evidence of chemical weapons capabilities? Venezuela has declared no chemical weapons stockpile or program and participates as an OPCW State Party under the Chemical Weapons Convention, with no public indicators of CW development or possession.⁷

What is known about biological weapons programs? No credible evidence indicates biological weapons development. Venezuela is party to Biological Weapons Convention norms with domestic legal prohibitions against BW activities documented by independent implementation trackers.¹⁰

Does Venezuela possess ballistic missiles? No indigenous ballistic missile program has been reported by major non-proliferation tracking organizations. Recent Russian statements about potential missile transfers remain unconfirmed and require verification before being treated as established fact.¹

Conclusion

The preponderance of authoritative open-source evidence indicates that Venezuela does not possess nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs, maintains participation in relevant international non-proliferation treaties and verification regimes, and has declared no WMD stockpiles to international organizations. The country's security posture has evolved significantly through conventional military modernization, particularly air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles acquired through partnerships with Russia and Iran, but these remain conventional capabilities without WMD payloads. Continued monitoring should focus on safeguards implementation given the absence of an Additional Protocol, transparency in dual-use industrial activities, and verification of foreign military transfer claims that could affect regional security dynamics.