Uranium

The US is preparing to sign a landmark civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia—but this agreement is unlike any before it. By allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and dropping key non-proliferation

The proposed agreement, estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars, is expected to run for 30 years and place American companies at the centre of Saudi's civil nuclear infrastructure programme.

India and Australia have finalised administrative arrangements for uranium exports, giving New Delhi another potential fuel source as it scales nuclear power capacity

The two countries finalised arrangements for long-term Australian uranium exports to India and expanded cooperation in critical minerals, mining, renewable energy and energy security

The UN nuclear watchdog has been unable to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran affected by the war last June according to a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog circulated to member states. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it "cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran or whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities." The IAEA warned that it was "unable to discharge its safeguards responsibilities" that it has under the Safeguards Agreement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, adding that it is "indispensable and urgent" for Tehran to implement its obligations under that Treaty. The only nuclear facility inspected in Iran by IAEA inspectors since the last report in February has been the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was visited on June 1-3. The reactor currently running at Bushehr uses uranium from Russia enriched to 4.5 per cent, a low level needed

Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL), a public sector company under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), will set up a recovery plant in Jharkhand to extract uranium from tailings of state-owned Hindustan Copper, a top official said on Sunday. The move would help in augmenting domestic supplies of the strategic mineral used in nuclear power and defence applications. In an interview with PTI, Hindustan Copper Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Sanjiv Kumar Singh said that the copper PSU has reached an understanding with UCIL under which tailings will be handed over to the Uranium Corporation of India to extract uranium. Copper tailings are finely ground waste rock and water that remain after copper minerals are extracted from mined ores. Singh said, "UCIL was concerned with our proposal and technically agreed because there is a presence of uranium in small quantities in our tailings, which they can extract". UCIL will process the tailings and, after extracting uranium, retur

The fate of around 400kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent , a short technical step from roughly 90 per cent weapons-grade material, remains unclear

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed claims from US President Donald Trump over the uranium and sounded a note of caution with regard to future talks between the two countries. Speaking to the Associated Press in the Turkish city of Antalya, Khatibzadeh said the Iranians were not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks with the US because the Americans "have not abandoned their maximalist position." On Friday, Trump said the US will go into Iran and "get all the nuclear dust," referring to the 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites badly damaged by US military strikes last year.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would not allow such a move under any circumstances

US President Donald Trump on Friday again claimed that Iran has agreed to hand over enriched uranium "The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear Dust,' created by our great B2 Bombers - No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form," Trump said in a social media post. "Nuclear dust" is shorthand that Trump frequently uses to refer to the highly-enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that the US bombed during last year's 12-day war between Israel and Iran. If true, it would be a major concession from Iran and would lock in a key US demand to end the conflict. But neither Iran nor countries acting as intermediaries in the conflict have said that Tehran has made such an agreement. Trump on Thursday also asserted that Iran has "agreed to give us back the nuclear dust".

That leaves the global nuclear watchdog - and by extension the US - without a clear line of sight into one of the world's most dangerous stockpiles

Should the US decide to send in military forces to secure Iran's uranium stockpile, it would be a complex, risky and lengthy operation, fraught with radiation and chemical dangers, according to experts and former government officials. US President Donald Trump has offered shifting reasons for the war in Iran but has consistently said a primary objective is ensuring the country will "never have a nuclear weapon". Less clear is how far he is willing to go to seize Iran's nuclear material. Given the risks of inserting as many as 1,000 specially trained forces into a war zone to remove the stockpile, another option would be a negotiated settlement with Iran that would allow the material to be surrendered and secured without using force. Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60 per cent purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog agency. That ...

Netanyahu expressed confidence in the progress of the joint military campaign, emphasising that significant steps have been taken to dismantle Iran's military and nuclear capabilities

India and Canada step up energy cooperation with a $1.9-billion uranium deal as New Delhi pushes its nuclear expansion under the Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat

Uncertainty over Iran's highly enriched uranium has intensified because it's almost nine months since United Nations atomic inspectors last verified its location

India and Canada sign a $2.6 billion uranium deal to secure fuel for India's nuclear plants, boost clean energy plans and fast-track a wider trade pact between the two countries

A new nationwide groundwater assessment shows rising uranium and nitrate contamination - with Punjab and Delhi among the worst affected - raising urgent health and policy concerns

The Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025, which was made public on Friday, has indicated that 13 to 15 per cent of the total collected water samples have uranium contamination. Released under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Central Ground Water Board's (CGWB) report is based on around 15,000 samples collected across India in 2024. It revealed that of the 86 monitored locations in Delhi, on several parameters, the samples exceeded Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) drinking water limits. "Overall, the study shows that while most groundwater in India is safe, certain regions face rising uranium levels, emphasising the need for regular monitoring and local mitigation measures to protect drinking water quality and health, the report said. It added that of the 83 total samples analysed, 24 were found to be exceeding uranium parameters, which is roughly around the range of 13.35 per cent and 15.66 per cent of the total samples collected. In its latest report on groundwater quality, sam

The MEA said it is reviewing Dhaka's extradition request for Sheikh Hasina, stressing its commitment to Bangladesh's people

A study in Scientific Reports detected measurable uranium in breast milk samples from six Bihar districts, linking contamination to groundwater and soil exposure