NOURNEWS- The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has said the country has managed to advance its nuclear technology, despite facing two decades of industrial sabotage.

"The country's nuclear science, which serves as a propeller for all industries, has come by while much industrial sabotage was committed [to impede its advancement] over the last 20 years," Mohammad Eslami said on Tuesday.

"Assassination of [Iran's nuclear] scientists, sanctions, psychological operations, and recourse to international organizations towards exertion of more pressure...none could impede the advancement of the country's nuclear science," he said.

Israel has assassinated as many as seven Iranian nuclear scientists and targeted Iran's nuclear installations on several occasions with terrorist crimes.

In line with its attempts to cast Iran’s nuclear energy program in a bad light, the regime’s successive officials have also been running a raucous propaganda campaign to sabotage the Islamic Republic’s nuclear activities.

This is while, the regime itself is the Middle East region’s sole possessor of nuclear weapons that has -- thanks to support provided to it by the United States, its oldest and strongest ally -- evaded joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Eslami reminisced how Iran's enemies would "resort to saber-rattling every day, saying they would attack the country's nuclear facilities."

Today, however, Iran's nuclear energy has assumed a leading global status, and "they (the enemies) cannot tolerate this," he added.

The enemy is opposed to the Iranian people's prosperity and calm, the Iranian nuclear chief stated, advising that the country rather invest stronger, more expedient, and more integrated efforts toward enabling its further advancement.

He reminded me how the country was now among the world's top producers of radiopharmaceuticals, heavy water, and semiconductors.

"Today, by God's grace, we have attained all achievements in the field of nuclear technology," Eslami said, putting the progress down to "ardor and round-the-clock endeavor."