Two domestic uranium producers are asking Donald Trump to crack down on imports from Russia and central Asia in the name of US national security, arguing the country has lost its ability to meet the needs of its nuclear weapons stockpile, naval vessels and power plants. 

In a petition filed with the US commerce department, Energy Fuels and Ur-Energy said the US industry had been decimated by competition from state-backed producers in Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan. They also warned that China was emerging as an increasingly important uranium producer and exporter. 

The two Colorado-based companies filed their request late on Tuesday using a rarely employed 1962 statute that gives US presidents wide latitude to impose trade restrictions in the name of US national security.