Iran Halts Heavy Water Sales to the U.S.

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, stated that Iran will no longer send shipments of heavy water to the United States due to distrust towards the U.S. According to Fars News Agency, Salehi mentioned that following the seizure of $2 billion of Iranian assets, Iran's distrust of the U.S. has increased, and therefore, until the issue of the asset seizure is resolved, Iran will not sell its surplus heavy water to the U.S. He also discussed the possibility of the seizure of Iranian heavy water shipments in the U.S. and the non-payment for it, stating that this could create a public relations issue for Iran. On May 10, after the asset seizure, Salehi had already announced that they would exercise caution regarding the sale of heavy water to the U.S. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday on a bill that prohibits the U.S. government from purchasing heavy water from Iran. This bill must also be approved by the U.S. Senate to take effect. The Senate had previously voted against a similar bill that banned the purchase of heavy water from Iran two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Salehi mentioned the possibility of selling heavy water to Russia, stating that the Russians are interested in purchasing 40 tons of Iran's heavy water. However, he noted that negotiations are still ongoing and no contract has been signed between the two countries. The news of a potential sale of Iranian heavy water to Russia had previously been announced by officials from both countries. Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization and Salehi's deputy, traveled to Moscow last week with a delegation from the Atomic Energy Organization to discuss increasing nuclear cooperation between Iran and Russia. According to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran is obligated to offer its surplus heavy water in international markets. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister and a senior member of the nuclear team, stated that under the JCPOA, Iran has no obligation to sell its heavy water and only needs to offer it for sale in the market, and if no buyer is found, Iran has not violated any terms. Salehi mentioned that under current conditions, if Iran does not find a buyer, it will store its surplus heavy water. Kamalvandi also reported on June 24 that Iran is negotiating with several countries regarding the sale of heavy water, although he did not provide further details. Araghchi had announced at the beginning of May, after the joint commission meeting between Iran and the P5+1 group in Vienna, that a contract had been signed between Iran and the U.S. for the sale of 32 tons of heavy water, a report that was also confirmed by the U.S. side. It is now unclear whether the failure to send heavy water shipments to the U.S. will have consequences for Iran under that contract. Last winter, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran had produced more heavy water than permitted (143.3 tons). Following this report, Iran decided to sell its surplus heavy water. In the latest IAEA report published on June 27, it was stated that Iran has brought its heavy water production down to the permitted level. In this context, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to ban the purchase of heavy water from Iran. Araghchi: Iran is not obligated to sell heavy water under the JCPOA. Selling heavy water to the U.S.: a political agreement or a commercial transaction? The changing battlefield of 'proxy wars': war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph: the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalization of Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis.