Iran unveils 150 nuclear achievements last year

Iran's nuclear chief said on Monday the country had unveiled 150 scientific and technological achievements in the nuclear industry in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 19, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami made the remarks at a ceremony in the Iranian capital, Tehran to mark the national Nuclear Technology Day, observed on April 8.

Among the achievements, 15 were registered in the radiopharmaceuticals field, Eslami said, adding Iran ranked among the world's top three countries in that area.

He noted that employing alpha particles for cancer treatment was the country's most important achievement in the area, the use of which he said had lately started in the world.

Eslami also outlined measures undertaken by the AEOI to generate 20,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity in the coming years, including the construction of several new power plants in the southern region of the country.

Iran says its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and mainly aimed at power generation and radiopharmaceutical production.

The country signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. The United States, however, pulled out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the deal.

The talks on the revival of the JCPOA began in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. However, despite several rounds of talks, no significant breakthrough has been achieved since the end of the last round in August 2022.