WASHINGTON (AP) - A State Department official told lawmakers Thursday he was unsure of the precise location of tons of low-enriched uranium shipped out of Iran on a Russian vessel as part of the landmark nuclear agreement.
Ambassador Stephen Mull, the lead U.S. official overseeing the deal's implementation, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee the stockpile is a Russian custody issue. He said the U.S. is confident the material will be controlled properly.
"We obviously have had many differences for many years with Russia," Mull said. "But one of the features of our relationship is pretty close cooperation and protection of nuclear material."
Following the hearing, a senior administration official said the Iranian stockpile is in Russia, where it will be stored in a secure location. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
Critics of the nuclear deal seized on the shipment's status as an example of the agreement's flaws. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said in a statement that it's "outrageous and unbelievable" Russia is being trusted to be the repository for such sensitive material.
Russia is a close ally of Iran, said Smith, who added he's unaware of a requirement in the nuclear agreement that requires Russia to declare where the material will be stored and how it will be safeguarded.
The low-enriched uranium is suitable mainly for generating nuclear power and needs substantial further enrichment for use in the core of a nuclear warhead. In late December, more than 12 tons of the material was loaded onto a Russian ship for transport out of Iran.
"We do not have concerns about Russian custody of this material," Mull said. What's important, he said, is that it not be returned to Iran. Mull said there are sufficient monitoring systems in place to know if even "one piece of dust of that material goes back."