WANA (Apr 11) – The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran stated: “The U.S. and other countries imposed maximum pressure through various sanctions, but they could not stop our country’s progress. They still believe they can hinder our nation through threats, intimidation, psychological operations, and foolish actions. But we have crossed the red lines they had declared off-limits for themselves.”

 

Mohammad Eslami, speaking before the Friday prayers sermon in Tehran this week, said: “With God’s grace, our youth have achieved scientific and technological advancements and have gone beyond the frontiers of knowledge, especially in the field of nuclear sciences.”

 

He continued: “They wanted to prevent us from enriching uranium, believing it to be their exclusive right. According to the 1956 U.S. law, any country seeking to enter three specific areas, including uranium enrichment, must obtain U.S. authorization. They cannot tolerate us possessing the nuclear fuel cycle.”

 

Eslami added: “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is supposed to encourage and facilitate enrichment for countries, is the only body that prohibits Iran from doing so! Despite all the disturbances, pressures, and the inspections we’ve agreed to legally or through certain arrangements, we have continued our program. Unfortunately, even with all the supervision and inspections, they still accuse Iran of hiding things!”

 

He emphasized: “We passed the nuclear stabilization phase over a decade ago, and today, we are producing products in the industrial sector that are both beneficial and impactful for our people, contributing to progress in all fields nationwide.”

Eslami further said: “We’ve launched a program to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity through nuclear power plants. They once believed we had stopped, and unfortunately, some within the country echoed that belief, claiming we couldn’t move forward. But our projects have accelerated, and we will build a fully Iranian power plant using entirely domestic fuel, to the dismay of our enemies and adversaries.”

 

Regarding the Bushehr nuclear power plant, he explained: “The cost of the plant was $1.87 billion, but to date, it has produced the equivalent of $10 billion worth of electricity in oil. The capacity of the Bushehr plant is 1,000 megawatt-hours, and without it, we would have needed to consume about 110 million barrels of oil. Our most important initiative has been the construction of nuclear power plants across the country.”

 

Eslami also mentioned: “Nearly 30% of agricultural and food products go to waste, and we face challenges in exports. The solution lies in nuclear irradiation. When the country produces 130 million tons of agricultural products, around 40 million tons go to waste—an alarming figure. We promised to establish irradiation centers to tackle this, and we’ve created capacity for about 500,000 tons per year.”

 

He concluded: “We’ve made progress in helping patients with diabetes and healing chronic wounds using plasma technology, launching specialized wound clinics. In the coming days, five more such clinics will open across the country. Plasma technology has also proven effective in cancer treatment by slowing its progression. A wide range of initiatives is underway to positively impact people’s livelihoods and the national economy. Our path is clear.”