It's impossible to seize something that doesn't exist, yellow cake anyone?
It sounds like you're referencing the infamous Niger uranium forgeries, where the phrase "it's impossible to seize something that doesn't exist" became a cynical summary of the search for Iraqi WMDs.
The "yellowcake" controversy centered on a set of documents; later proven to be crude forgeries suggesting Saddam Hussein tried to buy 500 tons of uranium from Niger.
The assertion that it is impossible to seize something that does not exist is true in principle, but the case of Iraqi yellowcake involves a complex distinction between pre-existing stockpiles and alleged new acquisitions.
Here is the factual breakdown based on historical records:
The "Non-Existent" Yellowcake (The Allegation): The 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq was partially justified by claims that Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase "large quantities" of yellowcake uranium from Niger. These claims were based on forged documents (mentioned above) and were determined to be false before the war began. In this sense, the alleged new African yellowcake did not exist.
However, Saddam Hussein did have a large amount of pre-existing yellowcake in Iraq and it was seized:
While the allegation about new purchases was false, the United States did secure a large amount of pre-existing yellowcake (roughly 550 metric tons) stored at the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center south of Baghdad. This was not a new purchase but rather leftovers from Saddam Hussein’s nuclear program from before the 1991 Gulf War.
Final Disposition: In 2008, after years of the material being unguarded and looted, a secret US mission finalized the removal of this 1991-era yellowcake from Iraq to Canada for use in nuclear energy facilities.
In summary: The 'yellowcake' Iraq was accused of trying to buy (after 2000) was nonexistent forged intel; the 'yellowcake' that existed in stockpiles (before 1991) was eventually seized, sold, and removed.
So, the fact of the matter is this - 'yellowcake' absolutely did exist in Iraq and it was thought that Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase 'large quantities' more of 'yellowcake' uranium from Niger.
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This is what is known about the origin of the forgeries - Multiple investigations - journalistic, intelligence, and diplomatic - converge on the same core facts:
• SISMI (Italy’s military intelligence service) was the first entity to circulate the documents in 2001. They were passed to U.S. and U.K. intelligence as evidence that Iraq sought to buy 500 tons of yellowcake uranium from Niger.
• Rocco Martino, a former Carabinieri officer with ties to SISMI, was the middleman who attempted to sell the documents. He later claimed he was encouraged by an Italian intelligence officer, Antonio Nucera, to distribute them for money.
• The documents were quickly exposed as crude forgeries - containing wrong names, wrong dates, and even signatures of long-retired officials. The IAEA determined they were fake within hours of examination.
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