Iran: We can now perform NUCLEAR FUSION

Gertz:

Iran has asserted its mastery of a process related to nuclear weapons.

The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization of Iran reported that it has acquired nuclear fusion technology. The state organization said Iran has used lasers to become one of six countries that could operate this fusion technology.

“By the method of inertial confinement lasers, significant research has been successfully conducted in the field of nuclear fusion,” the organization said on Feb. 10.

Nuclear fusion was designed to use the blast of a hydrogen bomb to release energy. France has hosted a 12 billion euro project to channel nuclear fusion as a source of clean energy.

The Iranian statement said the nuclear organization assembled “a machine to make nuclear fusion laser.” No other details were released, including whether Iran conducted a fusion experiment.

“With the manufacture of this machine, Iran becomes the sixth country to master this technology,” the statement said.

So far, only the United States, Japan, France, Australia and South Korea were said to have mastered nuclear fusion technology. China, the European Union, India and Russia were also part of the so-called ITER project to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor in France. The first large-scale laser target experiments were conducted in June 2009.

In July 2010, Iran announced plans to assemble an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. Officials said the project was launched with a budget of $8 million and could take up to 30 years.