Nuclear experts in the U.S. and Middle East have raised concerns about the security of up to 50 tons of unenriched uranium in war-torn Syria, The Financial Times reported Tuesday, January 8. Although western governments have been heavily focused on the fate of Syria’s chemical weapons since the start of the uprising, government officials and nuclear experts have also expressed fears about what may be a significant stockpile of uranium inside Syria. Iran, which is closely allied to the Syrian regime and urgently needs uranium for its nuclear program, might be trying to seize such a stockpile. Concerns go back to the Assad regime’s attempt to build a nuclear reactor at Al-Kibar in the east of the country. Syria, with assistance from North Korea, was thought to be close to completing the reactor when the facility was destroyed, reportedly by Israeli jets, in September 2007.