Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has requested that the United Kingdom release 30 tonnes [1] of Venezuelan gold frozen at the Bank of England.

The request comes as the government struggles to finance humanitarian aid after a catastrophic double earthquake that killed thousands of people. Because U.S. sanctions imposed in 2019 froze the country's overseas assets, Caracas lacks immediate access to its own reserves to fund recovery efforts.

The disaster began on June 24, when the USGS recorded two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 [3] occurring just 39 seconds apart [3]. The official death toll as of July 9 has risen to 3,811 [1], though other reports have cited figures of 3,800 [4] and more than 3,300 [2]. This follows a provisional report from June 25 that listed 188 deaths, and more than 1,500 injuries [5].

"We ask King Charles to release the 30 tonnes of frozen gold in order to finance the relief efforts," Rodríguez said [1].

The United Nations has joined the call for international assistance. A spokesperson for the UN said the organization is calling on the international community to support Venezuela, and to unfreeze the gold reserves [6].

The gold remains in London, where it has been held under the restrictions of international sanctions. The Venezuelan government argues that the humanitarian crisis justifies a temporary lifting of these freezes to save lives in the wake of the seismic events.

“"We ask King Charles to release the 30 tonnes of frozen gold in order to finance the relief efforts,"”

This request places the United Kingdom in a difficult diplomatic position, balancing the humanitarian needs of a disaster-stricken population against the legal and political obligations of U.S.-led sanctions. If the gold is released, it could create a precedent for other sanctioned nations to claim humanitarian exemptions, while a refusal may exacerbate the death toll and deepen the diplomatic rift between Caracas and Western powers.