Tehran – Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI), highlighted the pivotal role of uranium enrichment in the country’s technical and industrial sovereignty, and highlighted the country’s commitment to promoting private nuclear programs under the newly-finally 20-year strategic plan.
“Nuclear technology, in its truest sense, drives development and solves challenges across multiple sectors,” he declared in a meeting between academic elites and members of the country’s National Elite Foundation on Monday, highlighting Tehran’s determination to advance its nuclear program despite external pressure.
Eslami has sharply criticized recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The US Secretary of State has openly stated that enrichment is only permitted in nuclear armed states. However, enrichment is the core of the foundation and driving (of nuclear advancement). Without proficiency in this field, industrial-scale nuclear capabilities cannot be achieved.
The AEOI chief explained that Iran’s nuclear advancement was a direct challenge to “world control hegemony.”
He argued that Western opposition stems from its desire to prevent Iran, a country with “glorious human capital, rich resources and strategic global status” from accessing tools of scientific and geopolitical power.
“The nuclear industry is the source of the strengths of the Islamic Republic, the result of the oppressive system (of global domination) trying to deny us,” Eslami argued.
20 years of roadmap and milestone achievements
Iran has completed a comprehensive 20-year strategic document to guide the nuclear industry, developed with opinions from domestic experts and young people.
Eslami described the plan as “a vision-driven, program-centric blueprint that is important for institutionalizing progress.”
He emphasized the need to “adjustedly narrate Iran’s nuclear achievements” and build a “dynamic living network for national innovation” to counter the misinformation campaign.
Iran’s nuclear program has shifted to the “industrial stage” characterized by advances in energy, agriculture and medicine.
Eslami highlighted the role of Bussia nuclear power plant in reducing oil consumption and controlling pollutants, along with plans to increase its nuclear energy share in Iran’s electricity portfolio.
He also looked at breakthroughs in irradiation technology to minimize cutting-edge research in agricultural waste, domestically produced radiopharmaceuticals, and plasma, quantum computing and laser technology.
The nuclear director also emphasized cooperation with private sector partners and compliance with transparency in international engagement, reiterating Iran’s commitment to peaceful nuclear activities under the protection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran’s advances in private nuclear technology have been praised by domestic experts as evidence of independence amid decades of sanctions.
Analysts highlight milestones such as indigenous uranium enrichment, 60% for medical use, and the redesign of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor as a victory over the Western “maximum pressure” campaign.