Iran to Unveil Nine New Nuclear Achievements

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, has said that the country will unveil nine new nuclear achievements on April 9 on the occasion of the National Day of Nuclear Technology.

“Nine new achievements will be unveiled on April 9, which includes three of these achievements in the field of radiopharmaceuticals to be used in the diagnostic and therapeutic sector”, Eslami said in a news conference on April 6.

He said that another two achievements are in the fields of plasma which is effective for the treatment of cancer, four achievements are in the field of industry related to lasers, and three achievements are in the field of controlling, imaging systems and nuclear energy.

“In the field of nuclear power, we have targeted to increase its nuclear electricity output by 10,000 megawatts (MW) at sites that have been designed and envisioned”, Eslami said.

He went on to say that to hit the target, projects will be financed by "local and foreign" investors based on the current budget law.

Eslami added that this year, Iran "will pursue the construction of a totally indigenous 360-megawatt power plant" in Darkhovin, located about 70 kilometers south of Ahvaz in Khuzestan Province.

On April 5, over 190 Iranian lawmakers signed a letter demanding that the government seek "stronger guarantees" from the US to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), mainly known as the 2015 nuclear deal.

The JCPOA sets restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reimposition of sanctions on Iran, Tehran scaled back its commitments and expanded its nuclear program.

If Tehran resumes compliance under the deal, the Biden administration has sought to re-enter the JCPOA, which former US President Donald Trump unilaterally exited in May 2018. However, Iran insists that it will only do so if the US makes the first move and lifts all sanctions.

Iran has been engaged in negotiations to revive the accord with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly, since April 2021. The eighth round of Vienna talks aimed at reviving the JCPOA resumed in the Austrian capital of Vienna on February 8 between the negotiating teams.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell told the Doha Forum on April 2 that a revived nuclear accord would be sealed in "a matter of days".

Iran demands the US remove the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) from Washington’s "terrorist" list. Meanwhile, US special envoy for the Iranian talks, Robert Malley, said on April 3 that "the IRGC will remain sanctioned under US law and our perception of the IRGC will remain".

The IRGC is on the list because of Iran's assumed support for the Syrian government, Yemen's Huthi rebels and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.