The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, says Tehran plans to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor to
provide Tehran with large dividends in diversifying its sources of civilian energy.…
Nuclear fusion is also the technology behind thermonuclear explosions used in hydrogen bombs. Such weapons are more powerful than ordinary atomic bombs, which rely on fission reactions.…
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies senior fellow Emanuele Ottolenghi has written extensively about Iran’s nuclear program. He argues that it makes more sense that Iran would want to harness nuclear fusion for military than for civilian purposes.
“If the Iranians had this wonderful technological edge over the rest of the world, and they were about to produce a nuclear reactor that does fusion in a commercially viable fashion, bless them,” said Ottolenghi. “But, the fact that nobody else has done it so far suggests that maybe the Iranians are up to just playful banter. However, if one looks at what the reality of a military program is, if you want to have thermonuclear weapons, you need to master the technology for fusion. And while fusion is not commercially viable for civilian purposes, fusion allows you to build infinitely more powerful nuclear weapons.”
Also note: Salehi has a doctorate from MIT. Aren’t you proud to live in a country that teaches its enemies these kinds of skills? This at a time when we don’t even have diplomatic relations with Iran and — in theory — our policy is to isolate the Islamist regime.