According to a report by the Iran International website, which was translated by the Al-Hurra site, Iran is allegedly procuring uranium from the Syrian territory that is under the control of Bashar al-Assad’s regime for its nuclear uranium enrichment plants.
The website claims to have obtained secret documents that reveal Tehran’s purchase of uranium from phosphate mines in Syria for producing yellowcake.
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As per the confidential documents, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization requested the government’s permission to import 800,000 tons of phosphate from the mines controlled by the Syrian regime.
Among these documents is a letter issued in January by the office of President Raisi, where officials were asked to decide whether to allow the nuclear agency to procure annual phosphate from Syria without paying the government’s share.
Syria is one of the world’s leading exporters of rock phosphate, which is a vital raw material used in the production of phosphate fertilizers. The primary use of the phosphate extracted from underground mines is for the manufacturing of fertilizers.
Another document allegedly obtained by the Iranian International website suggests that Iran is considering a project to extract uranium from Syrian phosphate mines, which are available to Tehran for exploitation, to meet its nuclear industry’s uranium requirements. The document states that due to the high uranium content in the phosphate soils of these mines, it is technically more feasible to extract uranium from them than from Iran’s low-grade radioactive mines. The document urges the cabinet to approve the project without requiring the government to pay any money.
In an annex to the letter, the nuclear agency stated that there are two primary sources of uranium extraction, but Tehran is prohibited from utilizing conventional sources due to international sanctions. Consequently, it has resorted to unconventional sources where uranium is obtained as a by-product, such as from phosphate soils.
The document suggests that the Khneifis mine, located in Homs governorate, with a reserve of 300 million tons of phosphate, is the most favourable option among the mines contracted with Iran, as it contains a larger quantity of uranium.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
