DOE Chief Ali Salajeqeh and AEO Chief Mohammad Eslami inked the agreement on Sunday.

The main goal of the 3-year MOU is the effective management of environmental protection at the national level through the use and development of nuclear technology in environmental protection.

Improving environmental protection programs through creating convergence and synergy, and using clean energy in order to achieve a healthy and sustainable environment is among other goals of the agreement.

“We have a great need for clean energy in the country and we try to use all possible capacities in this field. Nuclear energy is one of the forms of clean energy that is used for peaceful purposes,” Salajeqeh said.

“The world is moving towards a zero-carbon policy, and we must replace fossil fuels with new sources of energy to reduce carbon emissions.

Therefore, the development of nuclear energy plays an effective role in reducing air pollution as well as water and soil resources.”

He went on to say that climate change has put biodiversity and genetic resources at risk. ‘We should try to preserve the environment as an intergenerational heritage by creating a synergy.”

Preservation of natural resources, biodiversity, and wildlife, dealing with air pollution and destruction of soil and water resources, and waste management are among the capacities, he pointed out.

Eslami, for his part, said that the main purpose of signing the agreement was to put nuclear technology at the service of the environment in order to reduce environmental harm.

In December 2022, Rouhollah Naqdipour, the secretary of the strategic council of the Department of Environment, said a roadmap for environmental protection has been developed.

The document presents 13 national macro strategies and 46 cross-sectoral measures for five main environmental challenges, he said, IRNA reported.

The 7-chapter book also suggests reforms for systematic purposeful solutions and policies to solve environmental issues including the water crisis, he further explained.

He listed the five major environmental challenges of the country as the imbalance between water resources and consumption leading to drought, soil erosion, waste and sand and dust storms, air pollution in metropolises, destruction of biodiversity and genetic resources, and imbalance between the environment and industrial and civil development.

Statistics show that the growth rate of protected areas in Iran is higher than in many countries so the number of protected sites in Iran has risen about 37 times compared with 26 times on average in the world from 1962 to 2018.

To preserve the existing biodiversity over the wide geographic expanse of Iran, four types of areas have been designated for preservation and protection, including, national parks, wildlife refuges, protected areas, and natural national monuments. In 1997, the Department of Environment (DOE) held supervision over 7,563,983 hectares of such areas.

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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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The ceremony will be attended by President Hassan Rouhani and a number of ministers, officials and commanders, during which 114 nuclear achievements that came to fruition last year (ended on March 21, 2019) will be unveiled and put on display.

According to spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, the achievements would cover various fields, including exploration, extraction, fuel cycle, power plants, science and technology as well as laser.

“The unveiling of these achievements under the country’s current circumstances will convey this message to enemies that the Iranian nation has resisted economic sanctions and has turned threats into opportunities,” he had said back in March.

Iran unveiled 83 nuclear achievements last year during the National Nuclear Technology Day ceremony.

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 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reacted to the US nuclear plan in Saudi Arabia, which has raised concerns among security analysts over the transfer of sensitive nuclear power technology to the kingdom.

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