Iran First Islamic Country to Have An Observatory: Larijani

“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, 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 stated.

In the concluding part of his remarks, he expressed gratitude for the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in this scientific project, saying, "I thank the esteemed Leader for being the driving force behind the observatory project and the national accelerator project. The national accelerator project is several times larger than the observatory in terms of size, application, and significance. This project is currently under construction in Qazvin province, and the esteemed Leader, while providing financial assistance to the project, continually monitors its progress."

He also acknowledged the efforts of governments, especially expressing gratitude to President Ebrahim Raisi for positive developments during his recent visit to Qazvin. He acknowledged that the project is complex and will not quickly yield results, but he hoped that in the next year, an initial use of this accelerator can be realized.