Iran To Establish Nuclear Schools To Train Over 30k Scientists
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says "at least 30,000 specialized personnel" should be trained only in the nuclear power plant sector in the next 20 years.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says "at least 30,000 specialized personnel" should be trained only in the nuclear power plant sector in the next 20 years.
Centrist commentator Saeed Laylaz’s statements in 'reformist' daily Etemad on August 17, stirred controversy as expected. He seemed to justify Tehran’s alleged move to build nuclear bombs. He said in the interview: “"Peace comes out of gun barrels, not out of agreements," adding that "the knowhow of making nuclear bombs is Iran's geopolitical shield."
Meanwhile, Laylaz ruled out a possible agreement with the United States saying that "all possible achievements of an agreement about the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal would be temporary."
Laylaz also argued that Iran needed good governance and a campaign against corruption to solve its economic crisis, hinting that a nuclear deal and lifting of US sanctions are not magic wands.
Already expecting a controversy, the daily had added a rare disclaimer. Within hours, ‘reformist’ figures raised their voices that Laylaz was not speaking for them. “Mainstream reformists in Iran disagree with Laylaz and believe in an agreement,” said former deputy foreign minister Mohsen Aminzadeh.
Meanwhile, several social media activists charged that Laylaz was appeasing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei following a previous blunder involving an interview published in April 2021 in which apparently Laylaz cornered former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to reveal Russia’s influence on the revolutionary guards, the IRGC.
Others noted that justifying Iran’s interest in nuclear bombs would have been okay if the comment was made by a conservative figure. They argued that Laylaz was playing according to the rules of the game that were set by Iran’s hardliners.
Conspicuously, while other reformists criticised Laylaz, his own proreform Party, the Executives of Construction, has so far remained silent.
It is still not clear whether Laylaz made the comments on behalf of the party where he is a member of the political bureau or he was speaking for himself.
Prominent reformist figure Abbas Abdi addressed Iran's reformists in a commentary published by Etemad Online. "A political group with self-confidence should not be afraid of comments that are different from the party line," Abdi said, and added that even if reformists disagree with Laylaz, they should welcome his comments rather than undermine them.
He also argued that Laylaz is an analyst not a man with political power. So, reformists should read his comments and think about them. However, he admitted that laylaz's analysis was characteristically controversial. He also criticized Laylaz for being insistent in issuing recommendations. "An analysis should make you think rather than suggest it is offering a remedy for all maladies,"said Abdi. "Assertiveness is good for a politician, but not for an analyst."
However, Abdi said that reformists comments about Laylaz's statements are regrettable. He accused Iran's reformists of failing to understand the true message of those statements, which was "Analysts should not try to simplify the Iran-US relations. These are not relations that are influenced by individuals. They are the products of a geopolitical situation."
They also ignored Laylaz's key message about Iran's domestic politics, Abdi argued: "Iran's main problem is not the JCPOA, it is one of lack of good governance and campaign against corruption,” and that was also an important message Laylaz tried to convey..
During his address to the Iranian education sector's directors in Tehran on Sunday, Mohammad Eslami said that in accordance with the country’s roadmap for the expansion of its nuclear industry, the AEOI has decided to establish schools in the cities with nuclear facilities, from the elementary school level, to start training nuclear scientists for the next generation of the country’s nuclear program.
Eslami also claimed, “Everyone should know that the nuclear fuel cycle is a power-generating one, and has nothing to do with building a bomb,” adding that the West levels “spurious allegations against Iran and wrongfully accuses us of attempts to produce a nuclear bomb only because they do not want us to acquire nuclear technology.”
“Despite fierce opposition expressed in recent years to Iran’s heavy water production, we have managed to build on our relevant expertise both in the atomic industry and molecular sector,” he added.
Late in July, Eslami said members of parliament are seeking to legislate a 50-year nuclear roadmap so change of administrations cannot influence the program.
Around the same time, two Telegram channels with links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard suggested that “Iran may if attacked by the US or Israel.
Iran has now enriched enough uranium to 60 percent that if further enriched to 90 percent, the fissile material will be sufficient for a nuclear bomb within a few weeks.
