Core of Arak Heavy Water Reactor Taken Out by Iran

“The heart (calandria) of Arak Heavy Water Reactor was taken out today,” the source told FNA in the evening.

“The operation was accomplished today and the core has been filled with cement,” he added.

According to the source, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to confirm the operation in the next few days in a final report on Iran’s full compliance with its undertakings under its Vienna nuclear deal with the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany).

“Following the IAEA approval, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini will issue a joint statement to declare that Iran has met its end of the bargain,” the source said, and added, “And then it will be the six world powers’ turn to comply with their undertaking and remove the sanctions.”

According to a nuclear deal signed by Iran and the six world powers, Tehran took up to reduce the number of its operating centrifuges to around 6,000, send a major portion of its 20 percent and 5 percent-enriched uranium stockpile abroad and take out the core of its heavy water reactor in Arak to be replaced with a new core in coming years that will produce a much smaller size of plutonium.

Representatives of Tehran and the G5+1 as well as EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini inked the final document on redesigning Arak heavy water reactor in Central Iran in November.

After the endorsement, Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Director General for Political Affairs and International Security Hamid Baeedinejad announced that the document to redesign Arak heavy water reactor was signed by Tehran and the world powers after they accepted Iran’s practical proposals in this regard.

“Presentation of a practical proposal to renovate and modernize the reactor played an important role in changing the G5+1 countries’ position,” Baeedinejad wrote on his Instagram page.

“Based on the proposal which is the result of the innovative research by Iranian nuclear engineers, Arak reactor will have many technical applications in production of radiomedicines and industrial nuclear products,” he added.

“As a result, this reactor will be equipped with the world’s latest state-of-the-art technology,” Baeedinejad said.