TEHRAN – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Muhammad Eslami has said that the hegemonic powers can never stop Iran from making progress in the nuclear industry. 
Addressing at a ceremony commemorating the martyrs of the ‘Al-Aqsa Storm’ in Iran’s central city of Isfahan on Monday night, Eslami emphasized that with the endeavors and diligence of Iranian specialized youth, the country’s nuclear technology will never be stopped. 
He added that science and technology are among the main factors of power and authority; a country that can pursue its development independently, without reliance on others, especially the dominant system, will be able to maintain its independence and progress.
He further stated advanced sciences and technologies in the fields of nuclear energy, aerospace, information technology, nanotechnology, and biotechnology are power-generating and authority-creating, and are usually monopolized by the dominant system.
Eslami emphasized that entering these fields for independent countries is often accompanied by conditions. However, Iran, whose people have paid a heavy price for independence, freedom, and the Islamic Republic, cannot be subject to the dominant system and accept their conditions.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, referring to the efforts of some countries to stop heavy water production in Iran and destroy related facilities, added that today, this heavy water is one of Iran’s most important products, used in various industries, including medicine.
In explaining the added value of nuclear technology products, he said that one ton of methanol produced from this technology is valued at over $1.2 million, while ordinary methanol produced in petrochemicals is priced at less than $500. Only a few countries are capable of producing heavy water, he added, noting that Iran uses heavy water and its derivatives for research and development in the pharmaceutical industry and other sectors.
Heavy water is chemically the same as normal water, but where the hydrogen atoms are of the heavy isotope deuterium, in which the nucleus contains a neutron in addition to the proton found normally. It can be used to turn natural uranium into plutonium.