Nuclear Energy from 'Inalienable Right' to 'System's Honor'; Eslami: Nuclear Energy is Our Honor

While officials of the Islamic Republic quote the leader of the system as saying, 'Nuclear energy is our honor,' experts believe that the Islamic Republic's 'ambitious' nuclear pursuits over the past 20 years have cost the Iranian people at least one trillion dollars. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, stated on September 7 in Tabriz: 'According to the leader's statement, nuclear energy is our honor, and all nuclear achievements are the result of the efforts, dedication, and extensive work of completely indigenous scientists, in line with the leader's directives, which have specified three aspects of impact on people's lives, international credibility, and self-confidence for nuclear energy.' Eslami also claimed that 'enemies have sought to stop nuclear energy through industrial sabotage, destruction, psychological operations, the assassination of scientists, using international organizations for maximum pressure, and military threats over the past 20 years, but Iran's Islamic nuclear energy is advancing with full power.' Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was trusted by Ali Khamenei before his 'rebellion,' used the slogan 'Nuclear energy is our inalienable right' at every opportunity during his eight-year presidency, trying to instill it in his audience. Now, news sources report that after 20 years of 'slogan,' the total direct costs resulting from sanctions, the cost of emigrated human resources, and the opportunity costs in various sectors for 'uranium enrichment' have amounted to over one trillion dollars. According to these experts, financial institutions like the Central Bank refrain from assessing the financial damages caused by nuclear sanctions to avoid being accused of political involvement, but examining the report from the Research Center of the Parliament shows that the cost of each doctor is 5 million dollars and each engineer is 3 million dollars for the country, and the significant outflow of doctors, engineers, and specialists in the past two decades, primarily due to external tensions and sanctions, reflects the depth of the cost-benefit disaster of nuclear energy and uranium enrichment for Iran. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated on Monday at the Swedish Institute of International Relations: 'Unfortunately, we have not reached a point where we can say that everything is going well regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.' Grossi added: 'Although the parties do not declare that the nuclear agreement of the Islamic Republic—which the U.S. exited in 2018—is dead, this agreement is now an empty shell.' The Director General of the IAEA emphasized that the sensitive status of the nuclear program remains concerning, and despite past successes, the JCPOA faces significant challenges due to enrichment activities and lack of full cooperation.