In an exclusive interview with the English-language magazine Science published on Wednesday, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi dismissed any huge sacrifice for the sake of the nuclear deal in the sphere of research and development of advanced centrifuges, saying “we would be working on different advanced machines. We would be working on the IR8, on the IR6. The IR8 and IR6 are the two candidates that could really meet our needs in terms of producing enough enrichment capacity to meet the annual needs of [the Bushehr power reactor]."
"10 years from now, we will have two other nuclear power reactors added to Bushehr. But using [the permitted] centrifuges, in 15 years we will be in a position to meet the fuel requirements of these reactors,” he added.
Salehi further maintained that Iran has a fusion research program and is attempting to increase its participation in ITER, the international fusion experiment; “we are working with ITER already at a scientific level. But we want to participate more on the execution level."
Noting that the Islamic Republic is one of the leading countries in West Asia working on fusion, Salehi added "in my previous appointment as head of AEOI, I made fusion our essential goal. It was given our highest priority because fusion is the future source of energy.”
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject currently building the world’s largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor near Cadarache facility in southern France. According to Salehi, Iran has three tokamarks, machines that generate electricity through fusion.
Iran unveiled its first domestically-manufactured tokamark in 2013.
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