P5+1 countries to assists Iran in redesigning Arak heavy water reactor

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The world powers and the Islamic Republic clinched a document to contribute to the redesigning and modernizing Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, which was one of matter of disagreement in nuclear negotiations between the sides.

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that all the foreign ministers of six negotiating countries (the U.S., the UK, China, Russia, France and Germany), as well as the EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini signed the document.

IRNA agency quoted Salehi as saying on November 19 that now, the way has been paved for implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Under the JCPOA clinched in July, Iran should redesign and rebuild a modernized heavy water research reactor in Arak. The redesigned and rebuilt Arak reactor will not produce weapons-grade plutonium.

Salehi said under the JCPOA, the P5+1 was expected to give Iran guarantee for cooperating in redesigning of the Arak reactor.

He added that the document is credible on an international scale as the six countries, as well as the EU have signed it.

In the meantime, Iranian MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi warned that the country is capable of reactivating the Arak reactor within six months, if the U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic are not lifted.

The UN’s atomic agency has recently reported that Tehran has stared scaling back on its nuclear program under the nuclear deal.

Speaking about the International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report on Iran’s nuclear activity, Salehi said the agency’s report showed that Iran has carried out its commitments and there is no diversion in Tehran’s nuclear program.

On November 18, Reuters said it has seen confidential report by the IAEA to its board of governors that Iran disconnected almost a quarter of its uranium-enriching centrifuges in less than a month.

Yukiya Amano, the director general of the IAEA said on November 17 that the organization will work to provide a report on his final assessment of Tehran’s atomic work by mid-December.