June 28, 2016
Farnaz Alimehri
The following is an excerpt of an article published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Iran’s vice president and nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehipaid a visit last month to the Czech Republic, where he met with several officials including Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek. The purpose of the trip was to develop a bilateral nuclear cooperation between Iran and the Czech Republic, specifically aimed at bolstering Iran’s civilian nuclear program and the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
While the regulatory authority already implements the framework and regulatory obligations required by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and its management system is based on the agency’s safety standards, it appears that Iran is eager to work with European nations to help implement better standards. While in the Czech Republic, Salehi stated, “I was really astonished and bewildered by the level of the advancement of your scientists at this very sensitive and important technology,” and said that he hoped to gain insight into nuclear safety using the Czech experience. The Czech visit is one of several signs that Iran is sticking to its commitments under the international nuclear deal made last year.
