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Yellowcake galore: Iran claims 1,400 uranium mines
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
NICOSIA — Iran has reported it has 1,400 uranium mines in the country, only a few of which have been tapped.
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization said 1,400 mines were available
for the extraction of uranium. The organization said the mines were located
in central Iran and would be used to produce yellowcake for the nation's uranium enrichment
program.
"The mines are scattered in one-third of Iranian territory particularly
in the central areas of Saghand, south of Bandar Abbas, Khashouri, Narigan
and Zarigan," IAEO deputy director Hossein Faqihian said.
In a Dec. 18 nuclear technology conference in Mashhad, Faqihian
said Iran has been developing only a few of the available mines. He said the
uranium would be converted into yellowcake for eventual production of fuel
for nuclear reactors, Middle East Newsline reported.
Yellowcake is milled uranium oxide, the first step toward enriched
uranium. In the second step, the yellowcake is converted into uranium
hexafluoride.
"We need power plants and mastery of the nuclear fuel cycle as
indispensable requirements for producing nuclear fuel," Faqihian said. "But
the initial step is to have a sufficient supply of uranium to produce
yellowcake. The intial process is being carried out in Bandar Abbas [in
southern Hormuzgan province] and in Ardekan [in central Yazd]."
Faqihian said the conversion of yellowcake was taking place at the
uranium conversion facility in Isfahan. He said Iran was one of 10 countries
in the world capable of enriching uranium.
Copyright © 2006 East West
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