Niger announced yesterday that it has begun selling its uranium stockpiles from the Somair mine on the international market.
The mine was nationalized from a French company despite ongoing legal disputes with France and the World Bank. In practice, this marks a sharp drop in French oversight and a wide-open door for buyers the West considers highly problematic.
And who’s showing interest? Foreign reports repeatedly mention Russia and Iran. Tehran already possesses several hundred kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, and part of that stock appears to have survived the airstrikes it suffered in June.
When a poor Sahel state starts selling uranium to whoever pays—and Iran is actively seeking “off-the-radar” raw material sources—this isn’t just another remote African story. It’s another potential path for Iran to rebuild and reinforce its nuclear program despite military or diplomatic pressure.