Weapon Program:
- Nuclear
Iranian government and nation have made their minds to pave the way for peaceful use of nuclear technology despite all restrictions and problems, said an Iranian nuclear official here on Tuesday.
Addressing the international conference on nuclear energy and the 21st century, Deputy Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) for International Affairs Mohammad Saeedi said generation of nuclear energy is given the top priority in Iran's nuclear program.
Saeedi said due to Iran's economic and social development over the past two decades, the country's strategy for exploitation of fossil resources is affected by two factors: firstly, the need for promotion of the standards of living and for promotion of economic indices which have drastically raised the energy demand and secondly, the dependence of national economy on oil revenues.
To pass the two contradictory and restrictive factors, Iran needs a long-term development program for substitution of the fossil resources, he added.
The Iranian official added that in the long-term program, fossil fuel is not taken a durable source and the new and renewable energy sources are not as well appropriate for the wide-scale development.
Therefore, he added, it would not be logical for Iran to rely only on the fossil energy sources. On the other hand, he said, adoption of such new technologies as nuclear technology in today's world would require high competitive power.
In Iran's 20-year development plan, production of 7,000 megawatts of electricity out of nuclear energy would reserve a specific share in the project for addressing domestic demand out of nuclear energy and it would be possible to give yet another boost in the share in future, he added.
He said design and construction of the heavy water reactors is among other peaceful programs of the country.
Among other peaceful nuclear programs of Iran is self-sufficiency and independence of all the nuclear energy related fields, including implementation of the project to supply nuclear power plants with fuel.
Moreover, Iran has also in its nuclear technology development agenda, meeting domestic power plants' nuclear fuel shortage, said Saeedi, adding that to this end, the country has established the UCF facilities in Isfahan and the enrichment installations in Natanz to meet part of the power plant fuel shortage.
He stressed that therefore, it can be concluded that firstly, Iran's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and for meeting domestic energy demands for the next 20 years. Secondly, he added, Iran invites all the countries, possessing nuclear technology, to contribute to establishment of nuclear power plants in line with the country's long-term nuclear program.
Thirdly, nuclear energy, as a safe and clean source, would undoubtedly play an important role in our future and fourthly, based on the article four of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) the members have an indisputable right for research, production and use of nuclear energy without any discrimination, he concluded.