TEHRAN - Iran is planning to build complexes for production of nuclear fuel with the cooperation of Russia and China, Iran’s nuclear chief announced on Saturday.

Ali Akbar Salehi said the complexes will help transfer technology to Iran and thereby the country will take a big jump in gaining nuclear technology.

According to the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and major power on July 14, Iran agreed to some caps on its nuclear activities for about 10 years and instead given sanctions relief including a free hand for cooperation with other countries in nuclear industry.

“From now on we will enter a new stage and a there is an 8 to 10 years time to advance our achievement (in nuclear industry), and by removing limitations and through international cooperation we can complete the fuel cycle.”

Iran has already signed contracts with Russia for construction of two nuclear plants in Bushehr.

“We will also build a complex with the Chinese and these complexes can advance” Iran’s nuclear industry by some decades “due to transfer of technology,” Salehi, director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) told reporters.

The president also said the AEOI has taken initial steps for building a specialized nuclear hospital, adding the land has been allocated for the purpose and the construction will begin soon.

Salehi also said Iran currently is not seeking to produce plutonium because it is not of priority.

Now the focus is on producing uranium and for the next 10 to 15 years “we will not have any plutonium” to operate plants by it, he explained.

Responding to critics that Iran needs plutonium to operate nuclear plants, he said, “This is not the time to look at plutonium as the main source of fuel.”

Salehi, a nuclear physicist, added, “Now Russia and the U.S. do not know what to do with (their stockpile of) plutonium”.

“If you do not know about plutonium ask about it and if you know about it tell the truth,” The soft-spoken nuclear chief said in response to critics.

He also said currently more than one million Iranians use domestically produced radio-medicine.


The production of radio-medicines in Iran will be brought to international standards which can help the country become a major exporter of these medicines.

Salehi also said with the completion of the Arak nuclear reactor different types of radio-medicines will be produced.

The Arak reactor will also produce radioisotopes needed for industrial use, he added.