The U.S. House of Representatives approved $50 million to establish an international nuclear fuel bank.
The proposal to set up a U.N.-supervised agency that would distribute enriched uranium to peaceful nuclear programs, based on language authored by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), the Jewish chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was included in the Defense Authorization bill passed late Wednesday.
Lantos aimed the proposal at rogue nations like Iran that insist their plans are for civilian nuclear energy, and not nuclear weapons.
“This legislation will force rogue nations to put their money where their mouth is,” Lantos said in a statement. “If states like Iran intend to maintain a peaceful nuclear program, they should welcome an opportunity to ensure a stable supply of nuclear fuel from an internationally-supported nuclear fuel bank.”
