Unexpectedly high uranium reserve found in Iran: official

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran has discovered an unexpectedly high reserve of uranium and will soon begin extracting the radioactive element at a new mine, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said on Saturday, September 12, according to Reuters.

The comments cast doubt on previous assessments from some Western analysts who said the country had a low supply and would sooner or later need to import uranium, the raw material needed for its nuclear program.

"I cannot announce (the level of) Iran's uranium mine reserves. 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," Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

Salehi said uranium exploration had covered almost two-thirds of Iran and would be complete in the next four years. He added that uranium extraction was set to begin at a new mine in the central province of Yazd, according to IRNA.