Salehi told Iranian news media on July 6 that during the visit "we discussed possibilities of Iran's joining to ITER, and the other members welcomed a prospective Iran membership."
Nuclear fusion joins atoms together and is the process that powers the sun. The project's pioneering research aims to pave the way for building nuclear fusion power plants that would create limitless electricity without polluting byproducts.
Coblentz said Iran's nuclear deal with the West encouraged Tehran to "explore" joining the project. He said the Iranians are "very eager to get moving" and join the 35 countries already collaborating on it.