AEOI chief stresses operation of Iran’s heavy water reactor

Operations at Iran's heavy water facility in the Central city of Arak will continue, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi reiterated on Saturday. "The reactor will continue its work as a heavy water (reactor)," Salehi told FNA. Asked about the recent remarks by the US officials that the negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) should result in the annihilation of Iran's ballistic missiles, he said, "The Iranian foreign minister (Mohammad Javad Zarif), who is himself a member of the negotiating team, has dismissed the issue and this topic has not been included in the talks." In relevant remarks in April, Salehi announced that Iran and the six world powers will soon strike an agreement over Arak heavy water reactor in Iran's Central city of Arak. "The issue of Arak heavy water reactor is almost over with the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany)," Salehi said at the time. He explained that Iran has proposed the G5+1 to redesign the reactor, and the sextet have welcomed the offer. "Through this proposal, the amount of plutonium produced in the reactor will decrease to one-fifth, but the trend and volume of Iran's radioisotope production will remain the same." The Iranian officials had earlier announced that launching the heavy water reactor in the Central city of Arak is among Iran’s redlines, adding that the installations are under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA inspectors visited Arak heavy water reactor in December. During their visit to Iran, the IAEA inspectors held a meeting with the officials of the AEOI and then visited Arak heavy water installations. Before the IAEA started its visits to the Arak Reactor, the AEOI announced in a statement that "the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a sign of goodwill to remove any possible ambiguity about the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, has given a positive response to the request made by the IAEA to visit the plant".