Uranium can be extracted from seawater. That method is more expensive than traditional mining but the process is technically proven. Ref:
Recovery System for Uranium from Seawater [etc.] Journal of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan (2001) Accession number: 01A1029481 ISSN: 0004-7120
If the reporting is correct and Iran truly is running low on raw material then I suspect the Iranians can purchase all the uranium they need from the list of countries below and or others. Production figures are for 2005:
Kazakhstan (4400 tons), Russia (3400 tons), Namibia (3100 tons), Niger (3100 tons), Uzbekistan (2300 tons), Ukraine (800 tons), Romania (90 tons). |
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