Iran: Agreement reached on heavy water facility in Arak

April 19, 2014   

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, said today (Saturday) that the issue of The heavy water production facility in Arak - One of the main issues in negotiations with the powers regarding the Iranian nuclear program. According to him, Tehran proposed to the six powers - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - to redesign the reactor core in Arak, and representatives of the powers agreed. The West fears that Iran is trying to develop a plutonium bomb in Arak, as an alternative route to developing an atomic bomb. It should be noted that this is not an agreement on all the issues discussed between the parties regarding the Iranian nuclear program. Talks on technical issues will take place in early May, during the Conference of States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in New York. A senior political source said on Saturday night in a conversation with Walla! News: "The situation that has arisen is that the Iranians are pointing two guns at the world - one in the form of their centrifuge program, and one in the form of the heavy water reactor. Now they may propose to put one gun on the table. That is important, but it is not enough and that is not the main thing." The heavy water reactor at Arak is located about 240 kilometers southwest of Tehran. When fully operational, it is capable of producing about nine kilograms of plutonium per year - enough for two nuclear bombs. Iran continues to claim that the programnucleus Its is for peaceful purposes only. According to the Iranians, the Arak reactor is intended to produce isotopes to treat cancer patients.