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Iran now producing derivatives of heavy water: AEOI chief

Thursday, 10 August 2023 1:56 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 10 August 2023 6:32 PM ]

The production of radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine is one of the major achievements of Iran's nuclear industry.

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says the Islamic Republic has managed to produce derivatives of heavy water, marking its latest achievement in the nuclear industry.

Mohammad Eslami said it was a cutting-edge achievement and that Iran was now among those very few countries that have made the breakthrough.

The official said Iran was ready to also export the derivatives to other countries.

Eslami said Iran is seeking to reach a “combination of laser and biotechnology” for making “deuterated drugs.”

Noting that lab experiments are currently underway, the official said there are promising prospects for the mass production of the technology.

Heavy water derivatives can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer instead of the current high-risk methods and chemotherapy.

Iran has made remarkable progress in the nuclear industry despite the Western threats and sanctions regime. Its nuclear industry serves peaceful purposes and Iran has always reiterated that line.

Iran’s achievements in nuclear industry gained under threats, sanctions: AEOI chief

Iran’s nuclear chief says the country’s achievements in the nuclear industry have been gained despite the threats and sanctions by the enemies.

In 2015, Iran portrayed that peaceful nature to the world in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement reached with six world states — namely the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. But, Washington’s unilateral withdrawal in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Negotiations between the parties to the deal kicked off in Vienna in April 2021, with the intention of bringing the US back into the deal and putting an end to its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. The discussions, however, have been at a standstill since August 2022 due to Washington’s insistence on not lifting all of the anti-Iran sanctions and refusal to offer Tehran the necessary guarantees that it will not exit the agreement again.

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