Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Ali Akbar Salehi has announced that Iran has submitted a proposal to Russia for the establishment of a joint consortium to produce nuclear fuel.
“In this consortium, some of the work will be done in Russia and some will be done in Iran so that we can produce nuclear fuel under a Russian license,” Salehi said in Tehran on Friday.
He also stated that Iran has produced 25 kilos of 20 percent enriched uranium, the fuel required to power the Tehran research reactor.
Since the United Nations Security Council issued a sanctions resolution against Iran, the country’s nuclear activities have been moving forward at a greater pace and the launch of the Bushehr nuclear plant is an example, he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency for its double-standard approach toward Iran’s nuclear program.
The IAEA is biased in its safety, security, and assistance policies toward the member states, he noted.
He also stated that the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is discriminatory in its dealings with its signatories, saying that the NPT has divided the signatories into two groups.
“One group is the countries that possess nuclear weapons — China, Russia, the United States, France, and Britain — which are the permanent members of the Security Council.
“The IAEA has allowed these countries to possess nuclear weapons and has told the other countries not to seek a nuclear weapon.
“However, they are told they can have access to nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes. We also criticize the NPT in this regard,” he said.
The IAEA has adopted draconian policies toward countries that seek to access nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes and has subjected them to constant inspection, Salehi said.
But the agency has been lax in its stance toward nuclear disarmament, he added.
