TEHRAN, IRAN – Iran is the first Islamic country to possess a very modern observatory, the head of the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences Mohammad Javad Larijani said.
“We started the construction process (of the observatory) concurrent with Turkey (starting its own); they had the resources, like the cash, so they collaborated with a Belgian company because they had those resources,” Larijani said.
He made the statement while addressing the unveiling ceremony of the space and astronomy news section of the Tasnim News Agency.
“We lacked these resources and had to construct a sizable component of the observatory ourselves. We gained a lot of knowledge from the total process, and we now have notable accomplishments,” he added.
“Additionally, our observatory observes parts of space that other countries cannot access, making Iran a crucial element in the global space observation project. Of course, an observatory is like a living entity, and continuous work and progress are necessary,” Larijani said.
He also expressed gratitude for the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in this scientific project, saying, “I thank the leader for being the driving force behind the observatory project and the national accelerator project.”
He said, “The national accelerator project is several times larger than the observatory in terms of size, application and significance.”
Larijani said, “This project is currently under construction in Qazvin province.”
He acknowledged the efforts of governments and expressed gratitude to President Ebrahim Raisi for positive developments during his recent visit to Qazvin, Tasnim News Agency reported.
He said the project is complex and will not quickly yield results, but hoped that next year an initial use of this accelerator can be realized.