TEHRAN – The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, said on Sunday that Iran’s nuclear industry has been put on the right track, IRNA reported.

Salehi made the remarks during a ceremony on the 11th anniversary of National Nuclear Technology Day, attended by President Hassan Rouhani, Vice President for Scientific Affairs Sorena Satari, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. 

He noted that the AEOI’s achievements in the calendar year 1365, which ended on March 20, has been much greater compared to the year 1394.

During the ceremony, a stone centrifuge and high-temperature condensate pump were unveiled.

Three nuclear projects were also launched on Sunday.

The nuclear projects included a center for the production and development of nuclear medicine in Alborz Province; another designed to host industrial irradiation in Qazvin Province; and one for the crushing and concentration of uranium ore in Yazd Province.

Salehi, nuclear physicist, also unveiled AEOI’s plan to turn Iran into the Middle East’s hub for production of nuclear medicine.

Two new units will also be constructed at the site of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, he explained.

Rouhani also hailed nuclear achievements in the past year, saying nuclear technology is “a necessity for the country.”

Iran had opted for “the straightest and least costly direction to stabilize and continue to exercise its nuclear rights,” he said, pointing to the country’s diplomatic efforts that led to the landmark nuclear accord with six world powers in 2015.

Following the nuclear deal, the international cooperation on developing Iran’s peaceful nuclear program has significantly hiked.

In line with boosting its nuclear technology, Iran on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hungary after several rounds of consultations between the two countries.

Iran and Russia also plan to sign an MOU on the development of peaceful nuclear cooperation, a source from the Russian Foreign Ministry was quoted by Sputnik after Rouhani’s meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

MH/PA