Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 25
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
China is trying to make progress in the implementation of the project for the reconstruction of Iran's Arak Heavy Water Reactor (located in Iran’s Markazi Province), Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua told ISNA, Trend reports.
According to him, the project on the reconstruction of said facility is one of the most important projects of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Hua noted that China and the UK are currently managing the reconstruction of the Arak reactor, adding that the Iranian side appreciates China’s activities within this project.
“China believes that all parties to the JCPOA must fulfill their commitments completely, so as to create some kind of balance between the obligations and interests of the countries," he said.
In January 2016, the JCPOA was implemented between Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany) in connection with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions against Iran in November of the same year. In order to preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal stated in January 2019 that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed.
On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories having not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal.
The 60-day deadline given by Iran to European countries involved ends on September 7.