Task force to be formed to design Arak reactor

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says a working group is to be set up to design the Arak heavy water reactor.

Salehi, who arrived in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on Wednesday at the head of a high-ranking AEOI delegation, made the comments in an interview with IRNA.

“Since the issue of designing the the Arak reactor has been raised in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and China has been designated as Iran’s [negotiating] side in this regard, it is necessary to discuss the matter seriously with the Chinese side,” Salehi said.

He noted that in addition to China, the US will also be part of the task force on the Arak reactor, adding that other members of the P5+1 or countries outside the group like South Korea can also participate in the project if approved by the Islamic Republic and the other six countries.

Iran and the P5+1 — the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany — finalized the text of an agreement called the JCPOA in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on July 14.

Under the JCPOA, limits will be put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all economic and financial bans against Tehran.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the top Iranian official pointed to Sino-Iranian cooperation on small “multifaceted” 100-MW power stations, saying that the two sides are slated to finalize their negotiations during his trip.

Among the “outstanding features of these power stations are electricity generation, the production of industrial steam, and desalination,” Salehi said, expressing hope that the two countries will be able to sign a memorandum of understating in this respect.

Iran’s nuclear chief further described relations between Tehran and Beijing as “special,” saying Sino-Iranian ties have been promoted considerably in recent years, given the existing international situation.

Salehi, who is on a three-day visit to China, is scheduled to hold meetings with a number of high-ranking Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.