Ali Asghar Zarean, a special assistant to the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), made the comments on Sunday afternoon in an exhibition of nuclear achievements at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman.
Zarean said that the country’s nuclear industry plays an important role in electricity production, adding that 100% of the nuclear activities cycle in the country has become indigenous.
He added that the country has become self-sufficient in producing centrifuges machines, adding that the country’s experts domestically produce yellowcake needed for enriching uranium.
He, meanwhile, stressed that the Iranian nuclear industry is not seeking to produce nuclear bombs in line with the Fatwa of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
The assistant to AEOI head further referred to the Arak heavy-water nuclear reactor, saying that the Arak nuclear site has the capacity of producing up to 25 tons of heavy water that could be exported outside the country.
“While some countries have accused us of bluffing about the capacity of Arak heavy reactor, they have now become buyers of our heavy water,” according to Zarean.
Also according to him, there are 1,044 and as many as 5,000 centrifuges installed at Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites for uranium enrichment.
He further noted the second part of the Arak heavy reactor will come on stream within the next two weeks, adding that the work on the reactor will be completed by 2021 after passing the cold performance tests next year.
His remarks come almost after 2 weeks after the AEOI head Ali Akbar Salehi said on October 7 that the nuclear experts had been working on the second part of the Arak reactor for the past 4 years, adding that with the installation of the fuel lattice pitch in the next weeks, the second part of the reactor would become operational.
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