Iran's lonely reactor - (arc)
Photo: AP
Iran: Tourists pass up on nuclear reactor
Tourists passing on chance to visit Iranian nuclear reactor, seem to be sticking to more 'conventional' vacation hot-spots
As part of the national effort undertaken by Iran to prove to the world that its nuclear programs are peaceful in nature, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered that the country's nuclear facilities be opened to tourists from all over the world. So far however, the tourists seem to be opting for Magic Mountain rather than embarking on a road trip to the Zagros Mountains.
"There is no issue of secrecy in the facility," says a spokesman for the Isfahan uranium conversion facility to the Iranian news agency. "The system works like any refinery and visits can be held without any restrictions." The spokesman noted however that "a visit to a nuclear plant is obviously not exactly like visit to an oil factory, there are certain issues that need to be examined prior to visits."
Uranium conversion turns raw uranium (aka yellowcake) into pure uranium hexafluoride (UF6) which is then used to produce the enriched uranium needed to fuel nuclear reactors or, as many in the West are concerned, produce nuclear warheads.
The spokesman said that the intention is to host daily visits to the site, which he says is visited monthly by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He said that although it has been a month since President Ahmadinejad ordered the opening of the Isfahan facility, not a single tourist has arrived yet. "There have been several meetings on the subject in Teheran, but as of yet no foreign tourists have come to visit the site, even though nothing prevents them from doing so."
Pedagogic representatives however have toured Isfahan in a highly publicized visit. The representatives were considering the possibility of arranging field trips for Iranian students to the facility.
