John Kerry: Iran Informed the U.S. That the Core of the Arak Reactor Has Been Removed

The U.S. Secretary of State says Iran has informed the United States that it has removed the core of the Arak reactor. The removal of the reactor's core has recently been a point of contention between opponents of the JCPOA and the government of Hassan Rouhani. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, stated on Tuesday that the work of removing the core of the Arak reactor and pouring concrete into it would be completed in the next couple of days. However, John Kerry said on Wednesday, January 13, at the National Defense University in the U.S. that this work has already been completed. The U.S. Secretary of State emphasized that the work of pouring concrete into the reactor's channels would begin within hours. The redesign and removal of the core of the Arak reactor, along with the reduction of centrifuges at the Natanz and Fordow sites and the exchange of Iran's enriched uranium for raw uranium or yellowcake, are conditions for the implementation of the nuclear agreement with six world powers. The removal of the core of the Arak reactor has faced opposition from conservative representatives in the parliament who are critical of the nuclear agreement prior to the implementation of the JCPOA. Ismail Kowsari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament and a conservative representative opposed to the nuclear agreement, stated that despite the denial of the removal of the core by officials of the Atomic Energy Organization, 'with the information we have obtained, it has become certain for us that they have removed the reactor's core, and this work has been fully operationalized, which is another violation by the government in implementing the JCPOA.' In another part of his remarks on Wednesday, Kerry emphasized that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would soon be implemented, possibly within the next few days. Before the U.S. Secretary of State's remarks, Abbas Araqchi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, had announced that the JCPOA would be implemented on Saturday or Sunday of the following week. Araqchi stated that the final report of the International Atomic Energy Agency confirming Iran's commitments for the implementation of the JCPOA would be published on Friday, January 25, and a joint statement by Zarif and Federica Mogherini (the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs) would also be issued on Saturday or Sunday.