TEHRAN, Iran, Nov.12
Trend:
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced that the US issued licenses for Arak reactor re-design according to Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but it asked Chinese not to wait for US permission to continue to work with Iran, Trend reports citing ILNA.
Although the U.S. announced its withdrawal from JCPOA in May 2018, it is in effect preserving it by continuing to grant significant waivers to the U.S. sanctions. These waivers allow some countries to help Iran develop its nuclear program under the heading of development for civilian needs allowing Europe, Russia and China to continue to uphold the agreement, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi said at a press conference in Fordow.
British delegation visited Tehran a few weeks ago to study reconstruction of Iran's Arak heavy water reactor.
“During a meeting with delegations from the European Union and China at the agency, we stressed that the speed of the reconstruction of Iran's Arak heavy water reactor should be increased," Kamalvandi noted
"The Chinese have been under the US pressure, but cooperation has now grown," he said, referring to America's restrictions against Iranian nuclear projects. “US technical cooperation with Iran was good during the previous [Barak Obama's], but Trump has halted it,” the spokesman added.
“Resolution 2231 also states that cooperation on Arak reactor's re-design should be continued, even after the JCPOA's denouncement,” said Kamalvandi. “Even though the US is giving licenses now, we have told the Chinese not wait for it.”
The spokesman added that within a few days, an Iranian delegation would leave for China to held talks.
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between Iran and the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the USA, plus the European Union) in July 2015, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment activities, eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium and limit its stockpile of low enriched uranium over the next 15 years. In addition, Iran also agreed not to build any new heavy water reactors or stockpile heavy water, and that the Arak reactor will be redesigned and all used fuel will be shipped out of the country.