“Red mercury” in coffins: How Armenians sold uranium from Karabakh to Iran VIDEO

Albert Isakov, a Canada-based video blogger with whom Caliber.Az has previously published an interview, touched on the issue of Iran’s potential possession of nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment technology on his YouTube channel.

“Just a year ago, someone messaged me on a messenger app. I was even surprised: an Armenian first name, Armenian last name. Usually, when I receive messages from Armenians, 90–99% of the time, it’s swearing, insults, and completely destructive, offensive conversations. But this person turned out to be quite intelligent. I visited his profile and saw that he was a smart, cultured individual. He had a specific question for me regarding uranium and Iran.

At first, he sent me a short article—a small piece from the Beirut-based Armenian newspaper Zartonk from 1993. ‘Zartonk’ translates as ‘Awakening.’ As far as I understand, it is one of the main, or even the only, Armenian newspapers in Beirut, where a large Armenian community resides.

The article claimed that Armenians were selling uranium from Karabakh to Iran. ‘Let’s take a look at this article,’ he said. He sent me a screenshot, but I asked him, ‘Where can I see the original?’ I don’t trust screenshots or images, especially nowadays, when anything can be faked or fabricated.

Then he sent me a link to the full archive of these newspapers covering their entire publication history (and the paper has existed for many decades). I accessed the archive for 1993 and found the specific issue. Here it is in front of you now. Let’s read it and translate what it says.

Here is the note—you can see it. It states: ‘Armenians sold uranium to Iran.’

Let’s read the translation of this short article:

‘In the newspaper Milliyet, Özge Özgen (the journalist’s name) reports that Azerbaijanis claim that during the presidency of Abulfaz Elchibey, Armenians sold uranium to Iran. This claim is promoted by leaders of the Popular Front. They say that the Kalbajar region is rich in uranium deposits, and that when the Armenians captured this area, they immediately took possession of two and a half kilograms of uranium previously mined and sold it to Iran.

By taking Kalbajar, the Armenians not only opened another corridor between Armenia and Azerbaijan but also gained control over the uranium mines. Uranium extracted from the Kalbajar mountains, referred to as ‘red mercury,’ can be used in making an atomic bomb. Armenians, with the assistance of Russian scientists, processed this red mercury to a state suitable for nuclear bomb production. Civilian and military experts who provided this information to the Milliyet correspondent added that the radiation from red mercury is extremely dangerous, and if it is used in missile warheads, it could pave the way for mass destruction.’

This is the note from the Armenian newspaper Zartonk from 1993. As I mentioned, I don’t trust just pictures, so I accessed and downloaded everything myself. All these files and links will be available in the description of this video. You can download them, check everything yourself, translate, and draw your own conclusions.

Here is the link to the newspaper Milliyet. I asked my Azerbaijani acquaintances if anyone knew this newspaper, as I thought it might be Azerbaijani. I wanted to study the matter, but somehow never got around to it. Only today did I decide to share this material and start digging again. I found the newspaper’s website — it turned out to be Turkish. For the same year, I found an article by journalist Özge Özgen (as he is introduced by the Armenian newspaper). I located the issue and the article referenced by Zartonk.

The newspaper Milliyet is published in Ankara. This is the article from the October 9, 1993 issue. Let’s read its translation:

‘It is claimed that during the presidency of former Azerbaijani President Abulfaz Elchibey, Armenians sold uranium to Iran. Representatives of the Popular Front stated that the mountains of the Kalbajar region, located south of Nagorno-Karabakh, contain large uranium deposits. It is claimed that 2.5 kilograms of uranium, mined before Kalbajar came under Armenian control, were sold to Iran.

Representatives of the Popular Front also stated that by capturing Kalbajar, the Armenians not only opened a second corridor into Nagorno-Karabakh but also seized uranium, which in the Kalbajar mountains is also known as ‘red mercury.’ They added that Armenians, with the assistance of Russian scientists, intended to process this red mercury and use it in creating an atomic bomb. Civilian and military nuclear experts who provided this information to Milliyet said that the substance called red mercury is also used in nuclear bomb production, and that its vapours are particularly dangerous. They also noted that uranium placed in missile warheads, if used, could lead to mass casualties.’

We all know that when the Armenians gained access to virtually all of those territories (I’m not talking about the areas where Armenians originally lived, but the regions where Azerbaijanis, expelled from Karabakh—specifically Kalbajar—had lived), they also gained access to all the mines, mineral deposits, and natural resources. This included, as it turns out, uranium. I don’t know how relevant it really was or whether it was that very uranium, but the fact remains: the Turkish newspaper reported it in 1993, and the Armenian paper cited it. This information was provided to the Turks by the Azerbaijani Popular Front, complaining that the Armenians had sold 2.5 kilograms of previously mined uranium and were continuing to sell it.

This topic was also discussed on a private Armenian forum. I gained access to this forum (I won’t specify how). There were voice messages concerning the sale of uranium by Armenians from Karabakh to Iran at that time. Let’s listen to one of these messages, which I have translated. The speaker is a person who was informed and knew about this:

‘I remember these issues from those years. It’s clear, it’s true. I can even describe the packaging, the routes, and how these trade deals were carried out. This mercury was in small coffins. They would hang it around their necks and transport it across the Araks River (Araz - editor’s note) by swimming. That’s how well-informed I am. These transports and deals, I tell you, were not simple. The people involved became wealthy immediately. In those terrible years, they became the masters.

Those who participated in this trade were heavily armed, travelling in tanks to make these deals. Yes, this was a highly secret, very serious topic. People were eaten alive there. I remember, I was just a child: people scrambled to get involved in order to take a share and earn a little money. Those who got involved were either consumed alive, or their material situation was permanently secured for many generations. I tell you, you shouldn’t delve too deeply into these topics. It’s a very serious, dangerous matter. You’re better off not dealing with it.’

This is all just for information. I think people who are deeply familiar with this topic already know everything; for them, it’s no news. But I decided to share this material, especially in the context of current events: the issues of uranium, Iran, how Karabakh was plundered, what was sold from there, and all that horror,” Albert Isakov recounts.