Iran is beginning to tighten its ties with Egypt as it continues to build stronger relations with other countries in the Middle East, including Turkey and Syria.
According to a report by a Qatari newspaper quoted by the Tehran Times, government officials from Iran and Egypt met in Baghdad this March under the auspices of Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani.
The meetings, held between Egyptian and Iranian security personnel, were described as “low level” and were aimed at gradually strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, Israel Defense reported.
Iran Obtaining Uranium from Syrian Phosphates
Meanwhile, Iran has also begun to obtain uranium extracted from phosphate mines in Syria to make yellowcake, according to a report published this weekend by Iran International quoted classified documents.
The documents seen by the news outlet allegedly showed that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran requested government authorization to import 800,000 tons of phosphates from mines reported to be “under the Islamic Republic’s control” in Syria.
Phosphates from the mines are used primarily to produce fertilizers; however, they are also an unconventional source for the extraction of uranium.
“In order to supply part of the uranium needed for the country’s nuclear industry, this organization (AEOI) is mulling a project to extract uranium from Syria’s phosphate mines, the exploitation of which is at the disposal of the Islamic Republic,” AEOI head Mohammad Eslami wrote in a letter to Iranian presidential first deputy Mohammad Mokhber.
“Due to the high grade of uranium in the phosphate soil of these mines, the extraction of the element and the preparation of yellowcake from it is technically more feasible than the extraction of uranium from low-grade radioactive mines of Iran,” Eslami added in his letter.
An addendum to the letter suggested that the Khneifis mine, located in Homs governorate with a reserve of 300 million tons of phosphate, is the best option among the mines contracted with Iran since it has a larger quantity of uranium, according to the Syrian Observer.
According to the report, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed in 2017 between Iran and Syria to enable cooperation in a phosphate mine in the Al-Sharqiya area of Syria.
