WSJ: US accuses Niger of preparing uranium deal with Iran

Niger’s decision to break the military agreement with Washington could be due to the fact that Washington accused Niger’s National Council for the Salvation of the Homeland, which is in power, of secretly working out a deal to give Iran access to uranium resources, Report informs referring to The Wall Street Journal.

A US delegation that arrived in Niger in mid-March, which included US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and the head of the US Africa Command, General Michael Langley, expressed concern about Niger’s cooperation with Iran on the use of uranium deposits.

The Wall Street Journal found in February that talks between Iran and Niger had reached a very advanced stage. As the newspaper’s unnamed interlocutor stated, the parties signed a preliminary agreement. However, two other sources indicated that the deal was not completed.

Intelligence from the US and other Western countries indicated that, as a result of the agreement, Iran could gain access to part of Niger’s uranium reserves.