ARAK, Markazi Province – On Saturday, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad inaugurated the Arak heavy water nuclear plant. The plant is considered one of the greatest nuclear projects in the country. The inauguration came during Government Week.

The Arak heavy water nuclear plant will play a significant role in elevating the scientific and technical expertise of Iranian scientists.

After inspecting the site, the president said Iran displays its nuclear installations to prove to the world that its nuclear program is peaceful and transparent and that Iran is not a threat to any country.

“Nuclear weapons have no place in Iran’s defense doctrine and Iran is not a threat to any country,” Ahmadinejad told the plant’s directors and engineers as well as local and foreign correspondents visiting the site.

“We are not a threat to anybody; even our solution to the Zionist regime is a referendum.”

Ahmadinejad praised the technological achievements of the Iranian scientists.

He said no country should ever be deprived of its rights.

“Over the centuries, Iranians have been the stars of science and thought. Also, the Iranian youth are currently the standard-bearers of dignity and science for not only the Iranian nation but also for the whole world.

“Throughout the centuries, different nations and ethnic groups have lived peacefully in the vicinity of Iran, because Iran has never been an aggressor country.

“However, the Iranian nation has always resolutely resisted bullying. The Iranian nation will never exchange its dignity and nobility for anything.

“However, some oppressor countries can not believe that a nation can be powerful and peaceful at the same time. They can not imagine that a nation can possess nuclear technology with no nuclear weapons. They just come to the wrong conclusions through wrong analyses.”

He said that accessing peaceful nuclear technology is the natural right of every country, including Iran, adding that the world should accept Iran as a peaceful and powerful country. Insisting that Iran’s nuclear activities are transparent, the president asked Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Gholamreza Aqazadeh to arrange a visit to the Arak heavy water nuclear plant for all interested scientists, ambassadors, and researchers, saying, “All countries that possess the nuclear fuel cycle should let the world visit their nuclear installations if they are not being diverted from the correct path.”

Underlining the fact that science should not be used for oppressive purposes, Ahamdinejad said Iran’s opponents are the “violators of global peace and security” and try to control the world by creating a threatening atmosphere.

Ahmadinejad also asked all international organizations to explicitly call for the eradication of all weapons of mass destruction.

Heavy water production, a breakthrough in nuclear technology: Aqazadeh

Producing 99.8 percent pure heavy water is a major step in the field of nuclear technology for the country, Aqazadeh said at the ceremony.

Aqazadeh also expressed hope that the technology would be expanded throughout the country.

“The production capacity of this plant is currently 16 tons of deuterium with 99.8 percent purity,” explained the AEOI director.

“The full capacity of this power plant is 80 tons of deuterium water per year.

“This project is one of the most advanced heavy water producing plants in the world.”