WANA (Sep 15) – Iranian Atomic Energy Organization spokesman and Deputy for International, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Behrouz Kamalvandi has stressed the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, saying that the Iranian people have paid a heavy price for their independence and dignity and will not surrender to pressure or intimidation.

 

Speaking at the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Kamalvandi criticized the decision that prevented Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, from attending the conference, describing it as a result of U.S. pressure and a violation of the host country agreement with the IAEA.

 

Kamalvandi criticized Washington’s approach toward Iran, citing more than five decades of pressure, sanctions, assassinations, sabotage and military actions against the Islamic Republic. He said such measures had failed to force Iran to abandon its path.

 

Referring to Iran’s long-standing membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Kamalvandi said Iran had pursued negotiations and cooperation over its nuclear program despite more than 25 years of pressure and sanctions. He blamed the weakening of nuclear agreements primarily on the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and its failure to meet its commitments.

 

The Iranian official also criticized the IAEA’s approach and the reports issued by its director general concerning Iran’s nuclear program. He questioned whether the agency’s repeated inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities had ever produced a report indicating that Iran’s activities had been diverted from peaceful purposes.

 

Kamalvandi also criticized the IAEA for failing to condemn the Israeli and U.S. military attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Referring to the Israeli attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear facility in 1981, he questioned why the agency had not taken a similar position toward what he described as much broader attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

 

He said securing Iran’s nuclear facilities was a natural response to the country’s continued exposure to security and military threats, stressing that locating some sensitive facilities underground should not be interpreted as concealment, as these facilities had remained subject to inspections and had been visited by IAEA inspectors.

 

“Military attacks, sabotage and assassination cannot destroy Iran’s nuclear knowledge and industry,” Kamalvandi said, adding that attacks on scientific centers, knowledge-based companies and nuclear infrastructure would not prevent Iran from continuing its activities.

 

The AEOI spokesman also highlighted several achievements in Iran’s nuclear sector, saying the country’s 1,000-megawatt Bushehr nuclear power plant received a full score of 100 out of 100 in the performance assessments of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) for 2023–2025.

 

According to Kamalvandi, the generation of more than 80 billion kilowatt-hours of nuclear electricity has resulted in savings equivalent to 132 million barrels of crude oil and prevented the release of more than 86 million tons of environmental pollutants.

 

He also said Iran produces and supplies more than 76 types of radiopharmaceuticals to 230 medical centers and hospitals, benefiting more than 1.5 million patients. He cited the expansion of radiation-processing facilities, industrial applications of nuclear technology and the use of cold plasma in medicine, agriculture, environmental protection and industry as other achievements.

 

Kamalvandi concluded by stressing that Iran would continue pursuing what it considers its legitimate nuclear rights, saying the Iranian people had paid a heavy price for their independence and dignity and would not surrender to pressure from major powers.

 

He ended his remarks by repeating the late Iranian leader’s slogan on the country’s nuclear program: “Nuclear energy for all, nuclear weapons for none.”