The announcement was first made by Ali Bahadori Jahromi, the spokesman for the Raeisi administration, on Tuesday and then the chief nuclear official of Iran provided more details on the nature of the document in question.
Bahadori Jahromi said, “the Comprehensive Strategic Document for Nuclear Development” will be unveiled by President Raeisi on Saturday.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, the spokesman said, “The comprehensive strategic document for the development of the country's nuclear power will be unveiled on the 20th of Farvardin (April 9) in a ceremony hosted by the Atomic Energy Organization and attended by the president.”
Bahador Jahromi stopped short of giving any further details about the document. But Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), who is responsible for preparing the document, said it thoroughly addressed the status of the AEOI and the nuclear policy of the country.
“We tried to prepare a comprehensive document for the development of the organization by forming working groups consisting of all relevant and motivated people,” Eslami said of the document, according to Fars News.
The chief nuclear official added, “This document has passed the legal approval process and fortunately, in the first working days of 1401 [the Iranian new calendar year], we have a comprehensive document for this organization, and God willing, it will be unveiled on April 9, by the president.”
According to Eslami, the document includes all aspects of nuclear technology, the industrialization of Iran in various sectors, the Leader’s recommendations, and the spheres that have not been addressed yet.
Eslami pointed out that, according to the document, qualitative and quantitative targets have been set for the processes of the nuclear fuel cycle. As regards nuclear power, the document sets the stage for the construction of power plants with a production capacity of up to 10,000 MW.
The head of the AEOI also revealed that his organization is in the process of building a 360 MW power plant in Darokhovein in Khuzestan. This plant, Eslami said, will be constructed by Iranians only.
The new document, which amounts to a nuclear doctrine, comes at a time when negotiations in Vienna over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have come to a standstill due to the Biden administration’s unwillingness to make political decisions regarding the talks.
It is indicative of Iran’s determination to expand its nuclear infrastructure and knowledge by relying on domestic capabilities. Iran has been trying to maintain and advance its nuclear program in the face of Western pressures.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has recently shone a light on why Iran kept its nuclear program despite pressures.
In a speech delivered on March 10, 2022, the Leader said, “I could equally mention the suggestion to forego our scientific progress. Some people say, ‘You must forget about the nuclear issue because it has led to so much sensitivity and has created many problems.’ Well, the nuclear issue is of a scientific nature.”
He added, “It concerns our scientific and technological progress in the future. We will shortly – not far in the future – be needing the products of our nuclear energy. We will completely need it. Then, whom should we refer to? When must we begin the process to achieve it? Therefore, going without these things and showing negligence towards them is not correct.”
First published in Tehran Times
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