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Iran finds greater uranium reserves than expected

by Bradford Richardson - 09/12/15 10:18 AM ET

Iran has discovered an unexpectedly high domestic supply of uranium and will begin mining the radioactive element at a new site, according to a Reuters report Saturday.

Western experts previously believed Iran would have to import uranium in order to launch its nuclear program.

{mosads}Self-sufficiency in its nuclear capabilities adds a new variable to efforts aimed at preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“I cannot announce [the level of] Iran’s uranium mine reserves,” Iranian nuclear chief Akbar Salehi told state-sponsored news agency IRNA. “The important thing is that before aerial prospecting for uranium ores we were not too optimistic, but the new discoveries have made us confident about our reserves.”

Salehi also said current efforts to find domestic uranium stores have only spanned two-thirds of the state.

The Carnegie Endowment and Federation of American Scientists published a report in 2013 detailing the scarcity of Iran’s uranium supply, which would compel the state “to rely on external sources of natural and processed uranium.”

“Despite the Iranian leadership’s assertions to the contrary, Iran’s estimated uranium endowments are nowhere near sufficient to supply its planned nuclear program,” the report said.

Tehran has denied it wants to use uranium in order to produce atomic weapons.

Iran and six world powers recently negotiated a deal to lift international trade sanctions against the Islamic state, in exchange for more intrusive inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Tags Iran