At the same time the Biden Administration managed to lose important US airbases paid for by US taxpayers in Niger, the former US ally was negotiating refined uranium deal with the Iranian regime.
Niger cemented an alliance with Iran with a secret yellowcake uranium deal in April.
This was around the same time Niger authorities decided to force US military personnel from the country. The US invested over $100 million in just one airbase in the country!
It is impossible to adequately explain how dangerous Joe Biden’s anti-American regime has been to global stability.
Our Gateway Pundit friend Banafsheh Zand reported at Iran International:
Recent reporting suggests that after covert negotiations, Iran and Niger have agreed on a $56 million deal to see Tehran acquire 300 tons of refined uranium.
First reported by the France-based media outlet Africa Intelligence in late April, it was revealed that Niger’s military junta had engaged in “secret negotiations” with Iran for the delivery of 300 tons of yellowcake in exchange for drones and surface-to-air missiles.
Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium oxide, appearing as a yellowish powder. It is produced from uranium ore and serves as an intermediate step in making nuclear fuel or weapons.
French newspaper Le Monde has since corroborated the clandestine negotiations – and reports that the specific type of uranium is produced in the mines belonging to a French company.
Uranium, Le Monde reported, is Niger’s most important export product and comes from mines that have been exploited since 1971 by the French group Orano in Arlit, located in north-central Niger.
Niger’s Junta government has denied the secret negotiations and agreement.
According to Africa Intelligence, as part of the agreement, Tehran would provide large-capacity generators to Niamey to address Niger’s energy deficit and support agricultural conversion efforts. These initiatives were launched by the new government, which came to power in a coup d’état on July 26, 2023.
Read the rest here.
As reported earlier…
The US officially began its forced withdrawal of troops from Niger on Friday.
This comes after the Biden administration agreed in May to remove the remaining US troops from Niger by September. The approximately 1,000 troops will leave the two US military bases in the country to the new regime.
Russian forces are already in the country and actually share the same base as US troops.
This is one of Joe Biden’s greatest foreign policy failures among many and is, of course, being ignored by the US fake news media conglomerate.
The BBC reported on the recent deal in Niger. It appears the Biden regime paid off the regime to save face as they were forced out of the country. You can bet that money was exchanged for this communication.
The US and Niger have agreed that American troops will leave the country “no later” than 15 September, they announced in a joint statement on Sunday.
They said the two countries had “reached a disengagement agreement to effect the withdrawal of U.S. forces, which has already begun”.
…
The military junta which seized power last year has already ordered French troops to leave, while moving closer to Russia.
The statement commended the “joint sacrifices of Nigerien and U.S. forces in the fight against terrorism”, adding that the withdrawal would not affect the continuation of US-Niger relations.
“The United States and Niger are committed to ongoing diplomatic dialogue to define the future of their bilateral relations,” it read.
That was a complete lie. The US was forced out. Russians are already on the US base.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Gateway Pundit has known about this American humiliation since April. In case you missed our previous reporting, here is a recap.
Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, did a bang up job in Niger. Now US forces are being told to leave the country pivotal to US national defense.
Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine recently spoke to reporters and blamed US State Department official Molly Phee of threatening the current leaders while negotiating US military presence in the country.
The Nigerian leader blamed Phee for the complete breakdown in relations. Zeine described his reaction to Molly Phee when she came to lecture the Nigerien leaders in March, “You have come here to threaten us in our country. That is unacceptable. And you have come here to tell us with whom we can have relationships, which is also unacceptable. And you have done it all with a condescending tone and a lack of respect.
In April we learned about Joe Biden’s most recent foreign policy disaster in Niger, Africa. US troops are trapped in the country allegedly without water and medicine at the time. The Army was likely hiding this to protect itself from the embarrassment. Deployed Americans were in limbo and unable to do their jobs and the Biden State Department was completely outmaneuvered once again.
Thanks to brilliant negotiating skills by Biden appointed diplomats US military will leave Niger and leave behind a $100 million airbase to the current anti-American rulers.
The USA confirms it will pull out of Niger.
1000 soldiers will leave after having been told to get out by the new Russian-friendly military junta
They will leave the $110 mln airbase built a few years ago from which the US has been running its drone operations against AQ & ISIS pic.twitter.com/UwCLn79acW
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 20, 2024
On top of that news broke last week that Russian troops have now entered the US airbase in the nation’s capital, Niamey.
The Russians will cohabitate with the remaining Americans at the US Airbase 101.
This is another humiliation of US troops by Joe Biden.
Now we find out it was US diplomat working for Joe Biden who destroyed this important relationship with Niger.
Via Stars and Stripes.
A crucial military relationship between the United States and its closest West African ally, the country of Niger, ruptured this spring after a visiting U.S. official made threats during last-ditch negotiations over whether American troops based there would be allowed to remain, according to the country’s prime minister.
In an exclusive interview, Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine put the blame for the breakdown squarely on the United States, accusing American officials of trying to dictate which countries Niger could partner with and failing to justify the U.S. troop presence, now scheduled to end in the coming months. Niger has been central to efforts to contain a growing Islamist insurgency in West Africa.
The rift between the former allies has created an opportunity for Russia, which has moved quickly to deepen its relationship with Niger, dispatching troops to the capital, Niamey, last month to train the Nigerien military and supplying a new air defense system. Russian and U.S. troops now occupy opposite ends of an air base.
After a military coup d’état ousted Niger’s democratically elected president last year, the United States froze security support as required by U.S. law and paused counterterrorism activities, which had involved intelligence gathering on regional militant activities from a massive drone base in the country’s north. The United States has kept more than 1,000 military personnel in place while negotiating with Niger over their status and urging the junta to begin restoring democracy…
Stars and Stripes then reveals the genius in the Biden State Department who destroyed US relations with Niger and how she did it.
He said the Nigerien leaders took particular umbrage at remarks by Molly Phee, the State Department’s top official for African affairs, who he said had urged the government during a March visit to Niamey to refrain from engaging with Iran and Russia in ways objectionable to Washington if Niger wanted to continue its security relationship with the United States. He also said Phee had further threatened sanctions if Niger pursued a deal to sell uranium to Iran.
“When she finished, I said, ‘Madame, I am going to summarize in two points what you have said,’” recounted Zeine, who has led negotiations with the United States. “First, you have come here to threaten us in our country. That is unacceptable. And you have come here to tell us with whom we can have relationships, which is also unacceptable. And you have done it all with a condescending tone and a lack of respect.”
Read the full report at Stars and Stripes here.
Which brings us to today.
Here is the nonsensical BS the Department of Defense Africom released on Friday.
The U.S. Department of Defense and the Nigerien Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Niger announce that the withdrawal of U.S. forces and assets from Niger has progressed from initial preparations to redeployment. This significant transition began with the departure of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from Air Base 101 in Niamey on June 7, 2024.
This flight exemplifies the productive cooperation between the U.S. and Nigerien armed forces through the Joint Disengagement Commission, which is tasked with overseeing and coordinating the orderly and safe withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger.
Through the Joint Disengagement Commission’s cooperative and transparent efforts, a small contingent of U.S. personnel has arrived in Niger to provide logistical support, ensuring the efficient withdrawal of remaining forces and assets from Air Bases 101 and 201. Concurrently, some U.S. forces have already redeployed from Niger to their home stations as their mission contributions concluded.
Both U.S. and Nigerien officials are dedicated to completing a safe, orderly, and responsible withdrawal by September 15, 2024. They emphasize their commitment to the protection and security of American forces during this process.
The U.S. Department of Defense and the Nigerien Ministry of National Defense recognize the joint sacrifices made by both nations’ forces in the fight against terrorism. They commend each other’s efforts in strengthening the Nigerien Armed Forces and express a shared commitment to continued cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
This withdrawal of U.S. forces will not have an impact on the ongoing development relations between the United States and Niger. Both countries remain committed to sustained diplomatic dialogue to shape the future of their bilateral relations.
The post At the Same Time Biden Lost US Airbases in Niger the former US Ally was Negotiating Sale of 300 Tons of Yellowcake Uranium with Iran appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.