Burst of Light (2)

The Islamic Revolution is 38 years old. These years should be called the period of enduring hardships on one hand and Iranian nation’s steadfastness against pressures and sanctions on the other hand.

The United States of America and its allies have resorted to every tool and made use of every chance in a vain bid to deter Iran from marching in the path of scientific progress. They have invested immensely for this end. The US has used different tools of pressure from oil sanctions to stirring turbulence in the markets of commodity, exchange and investment. However, it has spoken of having all options on the table to isolate Iran.

Now, the new American president looks to be indulged in illusions as he talks on exacerbating conditions for Iran and Muslims. It would be rational for Trump to have a brief look at the experiences of the previous president. Barack Obama, in an interview with New York Times after the nuclear deal with Iran, said, “If there were no agreement we wouldn’t be able to continue the sanctions. Keep in mind that it was not only Iran that paid the cost of these sanctions. China, Japan, South Korea, India and more than everybody all of the oil importing countries across the world, which had dealings with Iran, were harmed. They lost billions of dollars from Iran’s sanctions.”

Donald Trump may have not known the Islamic Republic of Iran yet. Thus he has to have a look at the past; the period which passed with rhetoric and different threats by the US. But the Iranian nation has replied the American impudence with resistance and has turned threats into opportunities with the aim of severance of all dependencies. The Iranian nation accurately has recognized the cause of its backwardness for the past 2 centuries. It knows well that the real independence materializes through the gate of progress in sciences and technology.

The Iranian people stood firm against such hollow threats just as they stood against aggression in the military field. This resistance has also had expenses for Iran. The nuclear martyrs who were assassinated by the US and Zionist regime in recent years are a testimony for the steadfastness of this nation in the trenches of science and technology. According to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution one of the necessities of the great Iranian nation’s struggle against the Global Arrogance is resistance, effort and all-out marching for the advancement of the country in the fields of science and construction.

Reviewing the figures of scientific products displayed at the documented International Scopus site shows that Iran, with a continuous growth in the two past decades, ranked first among the Islamic nations and the region and 16^th in the world in 2014. The site reports, “Iran has multiplied its scientific products five times in the past ten years. Iran stood at the 34^th position in 2005 with 0.4% of the scientific products of the world. But this figure increased to 1.5% in 2014.”

Iran has made great breakthroughs in producing stem cells, which is considered the second revolution in medicine after biotechnology. The Ruyan research center is active in this field and has achieved cloning know how, too. In the recent years the Islamic Republic, by launching of the satellites Navid, Rasad, Fajr and several explorers carrying living animals-and that under all-out sanctions- has proved that its space activity is not temporary. Iran is the only country in the region which enjoys the indigenous ability of manufacturing and launching of satellites for various scientific objectives. Iran is determined to expand its activity in this domain. Today, the Islamic Republic is placed among the 5 space powers. Iran, after launching the indigenous satellite Omid (Hope), entered the circle of the few countries possessing the technology of making and launching satellites.

Feysal Qasem, famous anchor of Al-Jazeera TV network and the staunch opponent of Iran and the Front of Resistance, said, “Arabs must get Iran’s role model in the fields of investment, planning, patience and resistance. Arabs, instead of reprimanding Iran, should confront it via getting its programs and calculated mechanisms. Look how prudently and cleverly Iran has applied its resources and wealth in the course of self-sufficiency in the long term and has turned into a power which cannot be ignored in the regional and global equations.”

The record card of nearly 4 decades indicates that Iran has attained spectacular status in the scientific ranking. As per the data of Scopus site, a valid site for evaluation of scientific growth in the world, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands at the 16^th scientific grade in the world. According to Nano Statistic, Iran ranked 8^th in 2013 in terms of the number of Nano articles. Presently, few countries have compiled Nano program including Iran. With manufacturing of more than 300 products, Iran has gained great achievements in Nano-related sciences such as making different industrial and medical products and manufacturing the relevant equipment.

Nano-technology is applicable in different spheres such as production and saving energy, increasing agricultural productivity, removal of poison from water, diagnosis of diseases, catalyzing medicine, accumulation of food stuff, refining the air, control of pests and so on. Herzi Halevi, chief of the Zionist regime military intelligence directorate, says, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has gained spectacular achievements in the field of sciences and technology for the past several years. Iran in the sciences such as cloning, stem cells and making medicines has made ample breakthroughs. After the revolution, despite sanctions, Iran has managed to obtain important achievements and successes via training of specialized forces in manufacturing airplanes, hygienic and medical sciences. Today we face with this undeniable fact that the Islamic Iran has covered the lofty summits of science and modern technology of the world and gained notable breakthroughs.”

The Islamic Iran has achieved all successes under the circumstances that the US has extended the illegal anti-Iran sanctions to the domain of publishing Iran’s articles in the western magazines and preventing Iranian scientists and experts from attending scientific seminars in America or Europe. The Iranian nuclear scientists have been placed in the list of the sanctions against real persons and several of them were assassinated by the US and Zionist- backed terrorists.

The west, with a biased political view toward Iran’s nuclear program, has even refused to sell the fuel for Tehran’s reactor which works on medical issues. This adamant behavior has urged Iran to rely on its indigenous capabilities and talents to make nuclear fuel for industrial and research uses and produce 20% enriched Uranium for securing Tehran’s reactor fuel. Making radio medicines needed for patients such as Molybdenum 99 and Technetium M99 are part of these scientific breakthroughs. Iran has taken big strides in nuclear sciences that are used in scientific, agricultural and nuclear medical researches. Richard Stone from the Science Magazine says, “I am familiar with the Iranian scientific community. I should say that, despite the existence of sanctions that Iran has tolerated them, the Iranian scientific community by overcoming limitations, has shown extraordinary creativity and flexibility and has preserved its competitiveness in the scientific community of the world. Iran is pioneer in different scientific and technological arenas especially nuclear know how. Iran enjoys the capacity for cooperation in different fields of nuclear energy particularly nuclear physics, physical astronomy and researches pertaining to nuclear fusion.

Nuclear technology includes many engineering and basic sciences which are exclusively at the disposal of a handful of countries. Iran has already entered new arenas of nuclear sciences including the project of nuclear fusion known as the ITER project. The project of “Nuclear Fusion” is the axial scientific project of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.

The international nuclear fusion project (ITER) is a huge project for producing new energies and the European countries, the US, China, India, South Korea and Japan are participating in it. This project will reach the phase of commercialization within next 30 – 40 years and the Islamic Republic has already started investment in it.

Iran has gained valuable experiences in nuclear fusion and will add to its experiences through cooperation. With Iran’s entrance in ITER project a new ground will be set for enhancement of this technology and it is expected that Iran’s joining the project will strengthen domestic potentials in terms of science and technique.

The industrial production of nuclear propulsions was put on the agenda of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization upon President Rouhani’s order. Lebanese daily al-Akhbar wrote, “President Rouhani’s three month deadline is indeed a clear message to Washington and its partners in the international community that Tehran will not accept any breach of the nuclear deal and imposition of extra sanctions and is ready to promote the level of engagement to the highest peaceful nuclear degree which is much beyond the nuclear agreement.”

More than 90% of Iran’s trade is carried out through sea and almost all of the country’s oil is transferred via maritime routes. Thus, the freighters and tankers use fossil fuels in the world. Although the fossil fuels are made of very cheap derivatives of crude oil; during recent years some countries like the US, China and Russia have taken steps toward nuclear propulsions for their commercial frigates. Christian Science Monitor in an article wrote that restrictions have urged the Islamic Republic to take steps toward progress. The daily stresses that the sanctions have failed to gain the desired goals of the west.

These achievements show that pressures and restrictions will not stymie Iran’s move toward advancement and bright future.

RM/SS