BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
The Arak Heavy Water (SWU) Research Reactor in Iran is being built in a new design in cooperation with foreign parties, said Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi, Trend reports citing IRIB.
According to Salehi, the equipment and spare parts of this reactor are produced with funds of domestic companies.
Salehi added that heavy water production and storage in Iran is carried out without any restrictions.
The Vice President said that although the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan has been implemented, many studies in the nuclear field have continued. Following the implementation of the decision to reduce the obligations in the nuclear agreement, the focus is on increasing the quality and quantity in accordance with the needs of the nuclear industry.
"Russia will supply fuel for the reactors in Iran's Bushehr province for several years. Arak reactor's fuel will be provided by China," he said.
According to the Vice president, two nuclear reactors are being built in Bushehr province with the support of Russia.
Salehi said that restrictions on the nuclear deal have not prevented major nuclear activities. At the same time, cooperation is being carried out with Russia, China and European countries.
In January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1 group (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.
On Sept. 5, Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA.
On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it took the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.
Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within JCPOA. Iran no longer faces any restrictions on its nuclear program.