Rouhani: Iran to Modernize Arak Nuclear Reactor

President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is going to modernize the reactor in Arak with more advanced equipment in the future, IRNA reported.

Talking at the opening ceremony of the 21st Press and News Agencies Exhibition here on Sunday, he said it is a matter of national pride for Iran that it succeeded in safeguarding its inalienable rights and even go one step further to demand modernization of Arak nuclearplant.

Iran has further asked the so-called group of P5+1 countries (including US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany) to introduce their latest technologies into Iran’s nuclear activities, he said.

He said the improved Arak plant that Iran is going to build will be remarkably different from its previous version.

President Rouhani also said that (in the nuclear deal) Iran not only managed to consolidate its right for enrichment and transforming the yellow cake into UF6, but went on even further to gain the opportunity to trade it.

He said Iran is going to join the international nuclear trade market in a few weeks, and in the process Iran will be able to modernize its centrifuges.

The very day the nuclear agreement is implemented, the President stressed, Iran will inject IR8 in new centrifuges.

Arak Reactor reconstruction’s final document soon

Meanwhile, Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) BehruzKamalvandisaid here on Sunday that the official commitment document on reconstruction of Arak Heavy Water Reactor is being finalized and its news will be announced in a couple of days.

Speaking with IRNA on the sidelines of the Iranian Press Exhibition and in response to a question on present phase of implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said that both sides have begun implementing their commitments.

‘This means that the letters they were supposed to forward on termination of the sanctions have been sent and the rest of the job is up to us, which means in a rationally acceptable period of time we need to proceed with our practical and technical commitments,’ added Kamalvandi.

He said that three major tasks in accordance with the JCPOA are to be completed, namely the Arak Reactor reconstruction, turning a part of the enriched uranium to yellow cake, and decreasing the number of active reactors to the number defined in the agreement in this period.

He also said that in case of the former two issues, the Supreme Leader has inserted conditions and limitations, according to which AEOI is proceeding.

‘Therefore, the zero point when the job begins will be on December 15 after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will announce the result of its studies on the possible military dimension (PMD), which might even be announced a week earlier, and it all depends on the agency,’ he added.

Kamalvandi said Iran will begin the centrifuges’ job at that time, which is two and a half months waiting, and added, ‘But at any rate we do not wish to sanction ourselves and therefore, we need to rapidly implement those parts that are in with our objectives.’

‘That is why we have begun a series of tasks which create no problems and are reversible and have no effect on the capacity for enrichment even earlier than schedule,’ he said.

The AEOI spokesman said that Iran has gradually begun dismantling some 10,000 centrifuges and when this phase will end within a few weeks after announcement of the PMD result ‘we will be able to begin the process that is favorable for us, but otherwise we would have had to wait a couple of months, not weeks.’

On certain political circles’ concerns about the JCPOA, Kamalvandi said, ‘One of their worries is on enrichment and the other one on sanctions.’

‘I tell them to rest at peace in case of their first concern, as the level of Iran’s enrichment will not be lowered presently,’ he said.

In case of termination of the sanctions, too, he said, ‘we share that worry as well, since in order to proceed with the termination of the sanctions we need to keep on performing our commitments to keep control after December 15.’

‘If they will supposedly refrain from remaining faithful to their commitments we will be able to re-assemble our machines very rapidly,’ he added.

R.S