Iran, China to cooperate in configuration of Arak heavy water reactor

Iran and China are expected to sign a document on cooperation for redesigning Arak heavy water reactor within the next couple of months, Iranian atomic spokesperson said.

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran's Spokesman Behrooz Kamalvandi has said that Tehran selected China for cooperation in Arak due to political reasons, Fars news agency reported.

Elaborating on the reasons for selecting China, Kamalvandi said that Beijing is more independent and it is unlikely to be impacted by the Westerners.

Explaining about technical procedure for the reconfiguration of Arak heavy water reactor, he said that Iran will redesign the facility and China will confirm the plan.

Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Aliakbar Salehi in February said that Iranian experts, with the contribution of foreign companies, will redesign controversial Arak nuclear facility.

Earlier in January, Iran removed the core of the Arak heavy-water nuclear reactor and filled it with cement as agreed under a nuclear deal between Tehran and the world's major powers.

Under the terms of the deal, Iran agreed that the heavy-water reactor would be reconfigured so it will be incapable of yielding material for a nuclear weapon.

According to the landmark nuclear deal clinched in July 2015, removing the core of the heavy water reactor to produce less plutonium was a crucial step before Iran's relief from economic sanctions agreed under the deal.

After a number of nuclear talks between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries, the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced Jan. 16 about the implementation of the JCPOA, aka nuclear deal, and the removal of economic sanctions on Iran.

/By Trend/