Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps is in pursuit of Beryllium exploration, Uranium enrichment, UF6 (Hexaflouride) and UF4 (Tetraflouride) production.
At present, Iran’s known oil reserves at the current exploitation rate, could provide energy for at least another 75 years. The gas reserves are enough for another 250 years.
I should add that there are many other oil and gas fields in north and south of Iran, which are yet to be identified. So far, only medium sized and normal sized oil fields are being tapped.
Dr. Manouchehr Fakhimi’s speech in Paris Conference; "Iran after elections – Global consequences"
He is an ex-lecturer in Mashad University (eastern Iran), and was involved in Uranium exploration with Atomic Energy Organization.
Iranian regime claims that it needs nuclear technology and a complete fuel cycle for energy purposes because Iran’s oil and gas reserves were finite.
This assertion could not be farther from truth. At present, Iran’s known oil reserves at the current exploitation rate could provide energy for at least another 75 years. The gas reserves are enough for another 250 years.
I should be quick to add that there are many other oil and gas fields in north and south of Iran, which are yet to be identified. So far, only medium sized and normal sized oil fields are being tapped.
Of course, there are also vast reserves below 12,000 feet level that are yet to be tapped.
Given such vast reserves, both tapped and untapped, the idea that Iran needs nuclear technology to provide for future energy shortage hardly seems plausible. It is neither cost-effective.
As far as uranium discovery is concerned, under the Shah’s regime, I was involved in Airborne Surveys across Iran. In the course of Ground follow-up, I succeeded in the discovery of Saghand uranium mine near the central city of Yazd. The mine had uranium reserves at the rate of 300 ppm.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran contacted me for the purpose of discussing whether it was feasible to enrich the uranium extracted from Saghand mine. Those in charge of the project were senior officers of the Revolutionary Guards Corps. They offered to have me transferred to AEOI from my position at the time in Iran’s national oil company.
The first question that came to my mind and I guess it should be a question for Tehran’s European partners, is that if Iran’s nuclear activities, uranium enrichment and yellow cake production, are carried out for peaceful purposes, why is the Revolutionary Guards Corps, an entirely military organ, directing and supervising the work?
Activities concerning uranium enrichment, UF6 (Hexaflouride) and UF4 (Tetraflouride), centrifuge production and laser systems as well as plutonium production have continued.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have had little access to the sites where these activities were being carried out. Those in charge have told me privately that the need for secrecy was dictated because all these activities were being carried out under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guards Corps.
One of these activities was the extensive effort to discover Beryllium, a highly toxic metal. Normally, around 10 to 14 percent of Beryllium is used in conjunction with copper to form an alloy with Polonium 210, in neutron initiators to trigger a chain reaction for a nuclear bomb.
Agencies affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards have been working to discover Beryllium in Iran since many years ago. To do so, they were carrying out specific tests, including spectrometrical analysis. These tests are only conducted to identify the kind of metals, I referred to earlier. The experts who carried out the analysis were unaware of the objectives of the experiments, because these tests were quite sensitive in nature and were totally unrelated to normal activities in those mines.
After leaving Iran, I kept in close contact with my former colleagues and these tests were still continuing until very recently. In other words, finding Beryllium is an essential part of Iran’s nuclear program because those in charge recognize that it is extremely difficult to import this metal.
This, plus the fact that nuclear energy for a country like Iran that sits on vast oil and gas reserves is not at all cost-effective, leave not doubt in my mind that Tehran is intent on acquiring nuclear bomb which it considers crucial for its long-term survival.
Dr. Manouchehr Fakhimi, is an expert of geophysics in mine exploration. He lectured in Mashad University (eastern Iran), and was involved in Uranium exploration with Atomic Energy Organization. Also, He has lectured in Germany for several years in his field of expertise.
