New information circulated about Iran’s endeavor to reach a deal with Niger, under which it would buy at least 300 tons of the so-called “yellowcake uranium” through Russian mediation.
Niger has the biggest uranium reserve in Africa and the third largest in the world. Until 2021, the country was the first source of uranium imports to Europe, but in 2022, it lost this position to Kazakhstan, which has a 26.8 percent share, followed by Niger (25.3 percent), then Canada (22 percent), and finally Russia (16.8 percent).
The exploitation of Nigerien uranium is managed by French company Orano, which is controlled by the French state. Other companies operate in the same sector, such as the Chinese CNNC and the South Korean KEPCO, in addition to the Nigerien National Company.
French newspaper Le Monde quoted Emmanuel Gregoire, from the Institute for Development Research, as saying that the uranium mining sector has not seen profound changes despite the numerous coups d’état that the country has witnessed since its independence.
In news recently published by the Africa Intelligence website, which specializes in African affairs, it was reported that the Nigerien authorities are “secretly negotiating” with Iran to sell it 300 tons of “concentrated” uranium. The news was confirmed by Le Monde in its issue of May 10.
According to the French newspaper, US intelligence revealed, at the beginning of 2024, secret talks for a deal worth $56 million. But on April 16, the Nigerien Military Council denied the US “fake news” that spoke of “signing a secret agreement on a uranium deal with Tehran.”
Senior Nigerien officials visited Moscow and Tehran last year, to enhance bilateral military cooperation. Le Monde quoted official Western sources as saying that Russia has facilitated the “nuclear” rapprochement between Tehran and Niamey, undoubtedly due to agreements concluded between Iran and Russia to support the Russian war in Ukraine.
