Kamali: The removal of the Arak reactor core will be completed in the next couple of days

The spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced that the removal of the Arak reactor core and its concrete filling will be completed in the next couple of days. Simultaneously, according to the deputy of this organization, negotiations are underway for the sale of excess heavy water produced by the Arak reactor to the United States. Behrouz Kamalvandi stated on Tuesday, January 22, in an interview with reporters that the final stages of Iran's commitments to begin the implementation of the JCPOA (nuclear agreement) are underway. He confirmed the presence of a large number of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors in Tehran for verifying Iran's commitments and the publication of the agency's report, stating that Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of this organization, had a phone conversation with Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the agency, and "we have made significant changes in our actions; it seems that based on our plan, the agency's verification work will conclude in the coming days." Mr. Kamalvandi emphasized that the comprehensive nuclear agreement will definitely be implemented in the coming days, within this month. The redesign and removal of the Arak reactor core and its concrete filling, along with the reduction of centrifuges at the Natanz and Fordow sites and the exchange of Iran's enriched uranium with raw uranium or yellowcake, are prerequisites for the implementation of the nuclear agreement with six world powers. Iranian officials had previously announced that the reduction of centrifuges and the transfer of Iran's uranium stockpile to Russia had been completed. According to the Vienna nuclear agreement reached on July 14, 2015, between Tehran and six world powers, 5,060 centrifuges must remain in Natanz and 1,044 in Fordow. Iran has also announced that it exported 11 tons of its enriched uranium to Russia in exchange for about 200 tons of yellowcake. However, the removal of the Arak reactor core prior to the implementation of the JCPOA has faced opposition from conservative representatives in the parliament who criticize the nuclear agreement. Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday the completion of the "removal" of the Arak heavy water reactor core and the filling of the site with concrete, but the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran denied this report, stating that some preliminary work in this regard had been done, but no action regarding the removal of the reactor core had been completed. Meanwhile, Ismail Kowsari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament and a conservative representative opposing the nuclear agreement, told Fars News Agency that on Tuesday, along with three other commission members, he visited the Fordow nuclear facilities. Mr. Kowsari added that despite the denial of the removal of the Arak reactor core by the officials of the Atomic Energy Organization, "with the information we have obtained, it has become certain for us that the reactor core has been removed, and this work has been fully operationalized, and this is another violation by the government in the implementation of the JCPOA." At the same time, Aladdin Boroujerdi, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament and another member of the visiting delegation, told Tasnim News Agency that they had questioned Ali Asghar Zarean, the deputy of the Atomic Energy Organization regarding this matter, and he denied it. Negotiations with the United States for the sale of heavy water from the Arak reactor The spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran also announced on Tuesday that negotiations are ongoing for the sale of excess heavy water reserves from the Arak reactor. According to the nuclear agreement (JCPOA), Iran must export the excess production of heavy water from Arak. Mr. Kamalvandi stated in this regard: "The sale of this excess is contingent upon the potential buyer becoming an actual buyer, which we are currently negotiating about." Simultaneously, Ali Asghar Zarean, the deputy of the Atomic Energy Organization, told ISNA that Iran is negotiating with the United States and "about 40 tons of excess heavy water will be sold to the Americans through an intermediary country." He added: "Six tons of Iran's exported heavy water will be used in nuclear centers, and the rest in research centers in the United States."