No Plans to Convert Arak Reactor: AEOI
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi on Friday denied reports that Iran is going to redesign its Arak heavy water reactor.
Kamalvandi said there are no plans to turn the facility in the central Iranian city of Arak into a light water reactor.
There have been reports recently saying Iran would redesign its Arak heavy-water reactor to greatly limit the amount of plutonium it could make.
Underlining that Tehran will not relinquish its nuclear rights, Kamalvandi said that the Islamic Republic is not going to shut down or change the functions of any of its nuclear facilities.
The remarks came as Iran and the sextet of world powers plan to start a fresh round of high-level talks on May 13 over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) wrapped up their latest round of high-level nuclear talks in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on April 9.
The two sides in November last year signed an interim deal, known as Geneva Agreement, on Tehran’s nuclear case.
Based on the interim deal (the Joint Plan of Action), the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran’s decision to suspend its 20% enrichment for a period of six months.
