Iran is close to clinching a deal to clandestinely import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan, according to an intelligence report obtained by AP.
Such a deal would be significant because, according to an independent research group, Tehran appears to be running out of the material, which it needs to feed its uranium enrichment programme.
Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashikbayev denied his government was involved. Iran’s mission to the UN described the report as “completely baseless”.
The report was drawn up by a member nation of the International Atomic Energy Agency. A two-page summary of the report said the deal could be completed within weeks. It said Tehran was willing to pay $450 million for the shipment. Purified ore, or uranium oxide — known as “yellowcake” — is processed into a uranium gas, which is then spun and re-spun to varying degrees of enrichment.
source: indianexpress.com
