Iran willto cooperate with China and likely with the U.S. to improve its Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday, according to Iranian media.
"One of the points agreed upon in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)was that Arak heavy water reactor could be further modernized,"Rouhani was quoted as saying by Iran's Tasnim News Agency.
"The reactor will thus be equipped with more modern technology facilities and be renovated, and China will participate in the project,"Iranian Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted him saying.
The president added thatone of the other P5+1 countries, probably the U.S., will participate in the project, according to both news agencies.
The heavy water production plant in Arak was launched in 2005 by theIranian president during that time,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who speeded up the country's nuclear programdespite the threat of sanctions from world powers.The next year, the U.N. Security Council imposedsanctions on Iran, blocking the import and export of sensitive nuclear material, equipmentand ballistic missile development.
On August 2014, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) saidthat the Arak heavy water production plant wasproducing less plutonium, but theagency did not say how much wasproduced.
Since fuel spent froma heavy-water reactor containsplutonium and can be used to developa nuclear bomb,Arak's significance was high.
Under the final nuclear deal reachedon July 14 this year between Iran and the world powers P5+1 group, Iran agreed toredesign Arak and not to produce any plutonium to weaponize it.
Iran also agreed not to build any other heavy-water reactors or accumulate heavy water for the next 15 years.
(Anadolu Agency)
