US launches national security probe into uranium imports

The Commerce Department has started an investigation into the impact of uranium imports on US national security, a move that could result in tariffs and add another front to the Trump administration's trade fight.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says the United States produces just 5 percent of the uranium needed for the US military and for electricity generation, down from nearly half in 1987.

Two US uranium mining companies, UR-Energy and Energy Fuels, requested the investigation in January.

The probe follows an earlier national security investigation into steel and aluminum imports, which resulted in steep 25 percent duties on imports of the two metals from the European Union, Canada, Mexico, China and Japan. A second investigation focused on the threat to security posed by auto imports is ongoing.