U.S. Secretary of the Interior claims the United States has "brought back" $100 million worth of gold from Venezuela, sparking significant controversy

[Global Network Report] According to reports from CNBC, Fox News, and other media, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland stated on the 25th local time that the U.S. recently “brought back” $100 million worth of gold from Venezuela. This action has sparked considerable controversy on social media.

CNBC reported that Haaland visited Venezuela earlier this month with executives from oil and mining companies and met with the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. According to Reuters, the focus of Haaland’s trip was on the mining sector. A day after Haaland concluded her visit to Venezuela, the U.S. issued a license on the 6th that allows for specific transactions related to gold originating from Venezuela.

“For more than 20 years, there has been no transportation of precious metals between Venezuela and the U.S.,” Haaland said to industry executives at the Cambridge Energy Week high-level conference in Houston on the 25th. “After a two-day itinerary, we successfully brought back $100 million worth of gold to our country—physical gold.” Haaland added that this gold would be used for commercial and consumer purposes.

It is understood that Haaland made similar remarks during an interview with Fox News on March 8. When asked about the progress of the U.S. plan to acquire precious metals from Venezuela, Haaland stated that the first batch of license documents related to Venezuela’s key minerals and precious metals was signed on the 6th to promote circulation. So far, $100 million worth of gold has been transported from Venezuela to the U.S. This gold will be used for industrial production and other commercial purposes.

However, Haaland’s remarks have still sparked considerable controversy among netizens on social media.

Some users questioned the U.S. statement, asking, “Did they buy the gold from Venezuela? Or did they just take it?” ↓

“‘Brought back’ is a euphemism, right? What did Venezuela get in return for their loss of $100 million?” ↓

Some American users bluntly stated, “So we are just robbing them.” ↓

“We have become a pirate nation.” ↓

One user described it as, “Last week when my neighbor was out, I moved his TV back home.” Another user replied, it should “be more like going to his house, tying him up, and then moving his TV back to my house.” ↓

“This sounds like a theft that the people of Venezuela should be wary of.” ↓

“Is anyone surprised by this? We did steal $100 million from the Venezuelan people, who are already starving and struggling to survive. No wonder even our own allies have lost trust in us.” ↓

On January 3 of this year, the U.S. military launched a large-scale military strike against Venezuela, forcibly taking control of President Maduro and his wife and bringing them to the U.S. Many world leaders subsequently condemned the U.S. military action against Venezuela, stating that it violated international law and that no country should undermine another.