Zibakalam to Rouhani: Why Did You Hide Nuclear Facts from the People for 12 Years?

Sadegh Zibakalam, a professor at Tehran University and political analyst, in an open letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, criticized the "real reasons behind the West's opposition to Iran's nuclear programs" and stated that "for 12 years, many nuclear facts have been withheld from the people." In this letter, published by the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) on Saturday, April 21, he strongly criticized Rouhani's recent statements and the nuclear policies of the Islamic Republic. Zibakalam deemed statements such as "the West does not want us to achieve scientific advancements, the West cannot bear to see the economic and industrial progress that nuclear activities bring to the country, the West wants to keep us dependent, the West has nuclear technology but cannot stand to see an independent Muslim country also possess this technology" as incorrect, addressing the Iranian president by saying, "At least you know what the real issue is." Zibakalam added: "You know that the West's concerns are due to the potential capability that enrichment provides Iran. That is, for a country whose officials have repeatedly declared the destruction of Israel." This political analyst pointed out that such statements have created a "sanctity" around Iran's nuclear activities, stating that "for 12 years, many nuclear facts have been withheld from the people." Zibakalam posed several questions to explain these "facts": "Do people know what direct and indirect costs (in the form of sanctions) nuclear energy has had for the country? Do we know how a country that does not have a high per capita in education and healthcare and does not spend much on environmental protection spends lavishly on its nuclear programs? Setting aside environmental considerations of nuclear power plants and the advantages of producing energy from renewable sources, has there been even once in these 12 years a fundamental consideration of 'cost-benefit' or 'economic justification' for our nuclear programs?" It seems that the professor's reference to "12 years" relates to the year 2003, when the dimensions of Iran's nuclear program leaked to international media, leading to the first nuclear discussions between the Islamic Republic and world powers regarding this program. Zibakalam also referred to the "nuclear dispute" as a "tool for anti-Americanism" in the Islamic Republic and stated that it has played a role more in industry, economy, and scientific development than in the country. He addressed the Iranian president, saying: "If you truly believe that the West's opposition to our nuclear programs is due to the brilliant advancements that nuclear energy brings to the country, then the opponents of Lausanne and the hardliners are not entirely wrong. They say that their revolutionary president has accelerated the country's nuclear program several times compared to the period when you were negotiating, but the Lausanne agreement somewhat returns the speed of the country's nuclear program to the pre-Ahmadinejad era." Zibakalam's letter to the Iranian president comes shortly after a joint statement from Iran and world powers regarding the framework for a potential comprehensive and final agreement on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Iran, the United States, Russia, France, China, the United Kingdom, and Germany have set July 10 of this year as their deadline to reach this understanding. In recent weeks, Zibakalam has engaged in debates and speeches regarding this understanding and the dimensions of Iran's nuclear program. In the beginning of his letter to Hassan Rouhani, he criticized his statements that "1+5 sought to prevent the Iranian nation from the will for development and national power" and "why did you sanction us on medicine and wheat?" He wrote: "Regarding medicine, the West says it was not part of the sanctions. But let’s assume they are lying. However, regarding wheat, there is no doubt left. In 2012, at the height of sanctions, we imported six million tons of wheat, mainly from the U.S."