The first head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has passed away
Akbar Etemad, the first head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, passed away at the age of 95 in Paris
He is remembered as the father of Iran’s nuclear program
Having completed his studies in nuclear physics in Switzerland, he returned to Iran in the 1960s and quickly embarked on the path of designing and developing the country’s nuclear energy
Etemad played a significant role in establishing the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and was able to sign agreements with Western countries for the construction of nuclear power plants
In the 1970s, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi tasked him with preparing a comprehensive plan for the use of nuclear energy, and eventually, with the approval of the late Shah of Iran, he embarked on the nuclear path to meet the energy needs of the country’s growing population
After the 1979 revolution, Akbar Etemad left Iran and went to France. He later stated in interviews that the Islamic Republic had no clear objectives for the nuclear program and believed that international agreements were mainly in the interest of Westerners
In his opinion, what was built before the revolution was destroyed afterwards, and Iran’s nuclear trajectory took a path that brought heavy costs to the country