Ali akbar Salehi Archives - Iran News Daily

nuclear chief: Centrifuge is one of tools needed to make COVID-19 vaccine

mahla — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 06:39:02 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – In an interview with national TV late on Saturday, Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi discussed the progresses made by the Iranian nuclear scientists in various fields.

Iran marked National Nuclear Technology Day on Saturday during which the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) unveiled a number of new progresses in nuclear industry. President Hassan Rouhani inspected a number of new machineries and equipment used in nuclear industry.

“A large part of 133 achievements that the president talked about today is about nuclear fuel. More than 50% of nuclear achievements relates to agriculture, among other fields,” Salehi said.

He clarified with an example about nuclear radiation in agriculture, saying, “It can be referred to the rice that has recently been provided to farmers. This rice has high yield and acceptable resistance to drought. Or we can name the radiation systems as other types of nuclear achievements related to agriculture. Radiation systems that can be used to sterilize and extend the life of agricultural products. Radiation can prevent dates from rotting for several months.”

He also pointed to the existence of a special centrifuge in the blood bank of the health sector, saying, “This centrifuge was previously supposed to be imported from Germany, but after passing many tests, our centrifuge managed to enter the country’s blood bank.”

Salehi described centrifuges as one of the requirements for making the COVID-19 vaccine, and the Atomic Energy Organization, through one of its companies, was able to provide the desired centrifuge for the Barekat Pharmaceutical Company.

Barekat Pharmaceutical Company is working on COVID-19 vaccine. Its vaccines are going to be administered by mid-June.

Salehi, a nuclear physicist, also pointed to the production of titanium used in medical science for the first time in the country.

“In the field of radiopharmaceuticals, good accomplishments have been achieved so that the number of these radiopharmaceuticals is increasing every year. If we have to import it from abroad, we have to pay 15,000 Euros for each dose. This radiopharmaceutical has had positive responses in the treatment of prostate.”

He also pointed out that the Tetra project is underway in Iran.

“In this project, about 60 million Euros worth of equipment has been purchased for the production of radiopharmaceuticals. The production of these radiopharmaceuticals is done as standard or GMP. The project building is as big as 37,000 meters, which is being completed, and the first phase of this project will probably be launched in September. This project is unique in West Asia. Iran currently exports radiopharmaceuticals to many countries, including India, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, and some European countries.”

He went on to say after the completion of the Tetra project in September, Iran will be the “largest exporter of radiopharmaceuticals in the world.”

The nuclear chief said that “ion therapy” is the latest method for treating a large number of cancers.

“We are the first in West Asia,” he said.

The AEOI chief elaborated on the progresses Iran has made throughout the years in nuclear science industry, stating, “We currently have software with which we design centrifuges of about 500,000 lines. We now have the ability to design centrifuges with different capacities, but this does not mean that these designs will work immediately. It will take about 15 years, because in Europe there is a French company responsible for setting up and operating centrifuges, and they do that in 10 years of time.”

The nuclear chief went on to discuss the latest accomplishments in the field of centrifuges.

“To date, we have about 15 types of centrifuges; IRS, IR9, IR8. As new centrifuges, IR5 and IR6 are among them. The complete IR6 chain was launched today (Saturday), while it should have been launched in the next eight years, but now the chain is on the verge of industrialization, although according to the law passed by the parliament, we have to launch 1000 IR6 centrifuges and install them within a year,” he said.

Salehi added, “In this regard, 164 centrifuges were launched and unveiled today, two waterfalls will be launched in Fordow soon, and IR6 waterfalls will be launched in Natanz.”

On the explosion of centrifuge assembly hall 10 months ago which the AEOI said was a sabotage act, Salehi said, “We did not stop and today we were able to temporarily set up a replacement hall for the exploded hall. We are currently working day and night to build all of our assembly halls in the heart of the mountains around Natanz ourselves. We hope that next year, these halls in the heart of the mountain will be ready and the facilities will be moved there.”

Iran’s next calendar year will start on March 21, 2022.

On 2 July 2020, an explosion hit a centrifuge assembly facility in the Natanz nuclear facility. Israel is being seen as the main suspect for the vicious act.

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Iran distrusts Washington based on facts

reporter 1222 — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 10:15:40 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Speaking in an interview with ‘Khamenei.ir’, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi spoke about cruel and irrational sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, saying that such enmities do result from issues like human right and democracy, but the major challenge to the West is the Islamic system and rule of the country.

Answering a question over Iranian Parliament’s measure for ratifying a counteractive plan against sanctions, he said that the parliamentary law required AEOI to start 20% uranium enrichment following Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA and the other parties’ failure to fulfill their commitments under the nuclear deal.

He went on to say, “Now, we produce almost 500 grams of 20-percent enriched uranium per day and store it inside the country under the Parliament’s law.”

“As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said in his speech if they lift the sanctions, we will return to our obligations”, he also added.

If Americans seek to return to the JCPOA table, they should know that Iran won’t accept any condition, Salehi said, adding there is a mutual distrust between Iran and the other parties to the JCPOA.

Iran’s distrust is based on facts; however, their distrust is solely baseless, therefore they should build trust for the Islamic Republic.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi hailed Iran in terms of enjoying the best geographical position in the region, saying that Iran is among few countries that have 15 maritime and land neighbors.

As Iran connects Central Asia to Europe and the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf and possesses abundant natural resources of oil, gas, and mines, therefore the country can establish a powerful and self-sufficient economy to nullify all sanctions and pressures, he maintained.

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AEOI Head Slams US Efforts to Harm JCPOA, Multilateralism

reporter 1222 — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 13:24:10 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said the only way to preserve multilateralism in the world is to end the US government’s destructive policies and foil its attempt to harm the JCPOA.

In an address to the 64th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), held at the Vienna International Center via videoconference, Salehi denounced the US government’s attempts to harm the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a major achievement of multilateralism.

The only way to safeguard multilateralism is to end the US’ destructive behavior, he added.

He also expressed Iran’s readiness to cooperate with the international community in order to bring diplomacy and multilateralism to the center of international relations.

The 64th Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference (GC (64)) is being held from 21 to 25 September 2020 in Vienna, where high-ranking officials and representatives from IAEA Member States will consider a range of issues.

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AEOI: 1,044 Centrifuges Spinning at Fordow Nuclear Site

reporter 1222 — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 06:42:17 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said enrichment of uranium is underway at the country’s Fordow nuclear facility with 1,044 centrifuge machines.

In remarks on Sunday, Salehi described the enrichment activities as evidence to the fact that the country has taken in full the fourth step it had promised to reduce its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal.

He made the comments in reaction to recent statements by a number of Iranian parliamentarians who claimed that the administration of President Hassan Rouhani has failed to complete the fourth step it had promised to take to reduce the country’s commitments as per the JCPOA.

“The policies related to the fourth step for the reduction of JCPOA commitments have been fully implemented by the Islamic Republic of Iran and we have activated a new wing of Fordow (nuclear facility),” Salehi added, Press TV reported.

“Based on the policies adopted to reduce JCPOA commitments, 1,044 centrifuges are doing enrichment (work) at Fordow. Therefore, as the executor of these polices, we have totally fulfilled our duty,” the Iranian nuclear chief said.

Under the nuclear deal, Iran had undertaken that these 1,044 centrifuge machines would not enrich uranium, but in line with the policies to reduce JCPOA commitments, the country is now enriching uranium to the amount it requires, and it will stockpile the enriched materials, Salehi noted.

He emphasized that Iran has been faced with a political challenge posed by the global arrogance since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, which gradually turned to a nuclear challenge, saying, “We finally succeeded in isolating the US in this challenge and this is a very valuable achievement for the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

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Fourth Step of Reducing JCPOA Commitments Implemented

reporter 1222 — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 04:11:41 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday that Iran has completely implemented the fourth step of reducing its JCPOA commitments, a move made by Tehran to respond to Washington’s violations of the 2015 agreement.

The fourth step has been fully implemented, and accordingly, 1,044 centrifuges are enriching uranium at the Fordo nuclear site, Salehi said while addressing Iranian lawmakers in Parliament on Sunday, according to IRNA.

Under the nuclear deal, he said, Iran had promised that these 1,044 centrifuges will not enrich uranium, but according to the country’s decision to reduce its nuclear deal commitments to the 2015 deal, enrichment will be done as needed.

Earlier this year, the Iranian government announced its decision to take the fifth and final step in reducing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with world powers, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The Iranian government said on January 5 that from now on, the country will observe no operational limitations on its nuclear industry, including with regard to the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the amount of enriched materials as well as research and development, Press TV wrote.

“By taking the fifth step in reducing its commitment, the Islamic Republic of Iran eliminates the last key operational restriction it faced under the JCPOA, which is the limitation imposed on the number of centrifuges,” it said.

The statement emphasized that following this decision, Iran will continue its nuclear program only on the basis of its “technical needs”.

The Iranian government, however, emphasized that it will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as was the case in the past.

Iran has repeatedly said that it is ready to resume fulfilling its commitments under the landmark nuclear deal if sanctions imposed on the country are removed and it can avail itself of the JCPOA’s benefits.

US President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the historic deal, unilaterally pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade.

In response to the US unilateral move, Tehran has rowed back on its nuclear commitments five times in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, but stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to beyond the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA.

In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA limit of 3.76 percent.

In the third phase, after the Europeans failed to meet a 60-day deadline to meet Iran’s demands and fulfill their commitments under the deal, Iran started up advanced centrifuges to boost the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium and activated 20 IR-4 and 20 IR-6 centrifuges for research and development purposes.

In November, Iran began injecting gas into centrifuges at the Fordo plant as part of its fourth step away from the JCPOA under the supervision of the IAEA.

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AEOI Chief: Iran Not Submit to Pressure

reporter 1222 — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 06:29:12 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said the country is open to talks on its nuclear program but will never be pressurized to make any decision.

“(Iran’s) Relations with the IAEA are very good and based on mutual understanding, and as an international authority, this organization and its decisions should not be influenced by political inclinations,” Salehi said in a meeting with director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, held in Vienna on Tuesday.

“Iran welcomes negotiation and logic but will not make any decisions under pressure,” the top Iranian nuclear official, AEOI chief underlined.

For his part, Grossi praised Iran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog in various areas and demanded that the Islamic Republic continue constructive cooperation with the IAEA as in the past, Press TV reported.

After taking office in late 2019, the new IAEA director-general described Iran’s nuclear program as one of the priorities he would consider “immediately” and added he may meet Iranian officials soon.

The Argentine diplomat had said he would be “firm but fair” on inspections generally, including in Iran, without spelling out what that means.

In May 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the JCPOA after the US withdrawal, but the three EU parties to the deal (France, Britain, and Germany) have failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests.

The EU’s inaction forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments to the nuclear deal, including a rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran maintains that the new measures are not designed to harm the JCPOA but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.

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Iran Urges IAEA to Ensure International Cooperation on Nuclear Security

reporter 1222 — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 16:19:13 +0000

Iran Urges IAEA to Ensure International Cooperation on Nuclear Security

According To Iran News, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to guarantee that international cooperation with Iran on nuclear security issues will continue unabated.

Salehi has travelled to Vienna to take part in the International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS 2020).

In a Monday address to the conference, the theme of which is “Sustaining and Strengthening Efforts”, Salehi highlighted Iran’s ongoing activities in the nuclear security sector, and called on the international community to combat threats such as cyber-attacks on the Iranian nuclear facilities.

He also reminded the IAEA of its duties on the basis of its Charter, stressing that the primary responsibility for nuclear security lies with governments.

Salehi urged the UN nuclear watchdog to make the necessary arrangements to guarantee that international cooperation with Iran in the nuclear security sphere will go on and to prevent a harm to the course of cooperation under any pretext.

He further praised the IAEA for working in cooperation with Iran in the affairs relating to nuclear security, and provided a description of the methods adopted by the Islamic Republic to ensure the security of its nuclear sites in accordance with the IAEA’s regulations.

The Iranian official also described the 2015 nuclear deal as a significant international achievement, blasted the US’ unwise policies on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reminded Europe about its responsibility to save the nuclear deal and distance itself from Washington’s bullying and unilateral policies.

The top Iranian nuclear official’s visit to Vienna comes a few days after the US imposed sanctions on him. The US Treasury Department announced sanctions targeting the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its top official on January 30.

ICONS 2020 includes a scientific and technical program comprising high-level policy discussions on the overall themes central to nuclear security and parallel technical sessions on related specialized scientific and technical, legal and regulatory issues, according to the IAEA.

The previous conference, held in 2016, attracted over 2,000 participants, including 47 government ministers, from 139 Member States and 29 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

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Iran will take measures to protect its security: AEOI chief

reporter 1222 — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 13:28:43 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to take any necessary measures to protect its security.

Reminding of the importance of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as an international achievement and criticizing the irrational policies of the US, Salehi said that Europe is responsible to maintain Iran Nuclear Deal as one of the key parties of the agreement and get rid of US bullying and unilateral policies.

AEOI chief described the preservation of the JCPOA as a provider of nuclear security and international efforts in this area.

Salehi blamed the US government for the current situation and condemned the irresponsible and unwise behavior of the ruling government in the US and Israel regime.

He also described US behavior in the international arena as terrorism, including the assassination of Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, emphasizing Iran’s seriousness in dealing with any such aggression and reciprocal response.

Citing widespread and ongoing nuclear security measures in Iran, he called for the international community to deal with threats such as cyber-attacks of Stuxnet virus on Iran’s nuclear facilities, as well as to condemn and halt these attacks and terrorist acts such as the assassination of Iranian scientists in the nuclear field.

Heading an Iranian delegation, Salehi left Tehran to Vienna on Sunday to participate at the third International Conference on Nuclear Security: Sustaining and Strengthening Efforts (ICONS 2020).

The third International Conference on Nuclear Security: Sustaining and Strengthening Efforts (ICONS 2020) is organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It kicked off on Monday 10 February in Vienna, Austria and will be finished on Wednesday.

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AEOI chief in Vienna to attend ICONS 2020

reporter 1222 — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 11:31:54 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, AEOI, Ali Akbar Salehi arrived in the Austrian capital on Sunday to attend the third International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS 2020).

Heading an Iranian delegation, AEOI chief, Salehi left Tehran to Vienna to participate at the third International Conference on Nuclear Security: Sustaining and Strengthening Efforts (ICONS 2020).

He is set to deliver a speech in the opening section of the conference.

The third International Conference on Nuclear Security: Sustaining and Strengthening Efforts (ICONS 2020) is organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It will be held on 10-14 February 2020 in Vienna, Austria.

The previous conference, held in 2016, attracted over 2000 participants, including 47 government ministers, from 139 Member States and 29 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

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Europe triggering dispute mechanism sign of weakness

reporter 1222 — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 07:01:51 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Chief of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi has strongly criticized Europe, Britain, Germany, and France for triggering a dispute settlement mechanism featured in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“I believe, by triggering dispute mechanism, Europe has shown their weakness and lack of wisdom and that they cannot resist the US’ pressures,” Salehi said on Wednesday.

Britain, France, and Germany, collectively known as the E3, have formally triggered a dispute settlement mechanism featured in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran (JCPOA), a step that could lead to the restoration of UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The JCPOA lifted nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the UN and some other signatories of the deal, particularly the US.

The Islamic Republic, in return, voluntarily changed some aspects of its nuclear program. The agreement was later ratified in the form of Security Council 2231, which terminated previous UN resolutions against the Islamic Republic.

Bowing to Washington’s pressure, the three remaining European signatories failed to protect Tehran’s business interests under the deal after the US’s withdrawal and started to tow Washington’s sanction line.

Consequently, Iran began in May 2019 to gradually reduce its commitments under the JCPOA to both retaliate for Washington’s departure and prompt the European trio to respect their obligations towards Tehran.

The E3, however, refuted the argument that Iran is entitled to reduce compliance with the JCPOA.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned this week that Tehran will leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if EU takes Iran’s nuclear to UN Security Council.

“The European’s statement is in no way legal. If the Europeans take another step, Iran will consider leaving the NPT according to a letter by the Iranian president in May 2019,” Zarif said.

He added that “if the Europeans continue to play more political games, we will have many options.”

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