Former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani admitted that the Islamic Republic had initially launched its nuclear program in order to have the option of developing nuclear weapons, according to a translation of an interview published Wednesday by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
As I have said, when we started the [nuclear] work, we were at war, and we wanted to have such an option for the day our enemies wanted to use nuclear weapons. This was [our] state of mind, but things never become serious.
However, we took seriously the non-military uses [of the nuclear project], and so we invested money and did a great deal of work. We worked in various areas and also taught a great deal. We dispatched students and invited scientists and many other things of this sort. The principle of our doctrine was the use of nuclear [energy] for peaceful purposes, even though we never abandoned [the idea] that if we were some day to face a certain threat, and if it became necessary, then we would have the option of going to the other side [i.e. to develop nuclear weapons]. But we did not have a plan to do this, and we never deviated [from civilian use]…
According to MEMRI, Rafsanjani further revealed that, “during his presidency, he sought to develop the Arak heavy water facility, in the plutonium track, and invested resources in it.” Notably, later in the interview, Rafsanjani also acknowledged that plutonium “is meant for military matters,” thereby inadvertently confirming suspicions that the Islamic Republic tried to develop a nuclear weapons program.
Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on Iran, told The Jerusalem Post that Iran’s “long-term strategic objective remains unchanged: developing a nuclear bomb,” and explained that Rafsanjani’s goal in giving this interview was to ensure his place in history.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani supports President Hassan Rouhani’s attempt at reaching a negotiated solution to the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program. However, both gentlemen consider the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action a tactical maneuver in the face of the sanctions regime.
Rafsanjani believes that goal will be reached sooner or later. His revelations are delivered at a time when they no longer risk disturbing the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], which is a done deal, and secure him the prestige of being the father of the Iranian bomb.
In another portion of the interview that had been previously translated, Rafsanjani admitted that Iran sought help to develop its nuclear program from the father Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, A. Q. Khan.
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