Salehi Criticizes China for Reducing Cooperation in Arak and Fear of US Sanctions

Ali Akbar Salehi, the Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, announced on Wednesday, January 30, that China has reduced the pace of its cooperation with Iran in the redesign of the Arak reactor. According to Salehi, this occurred right after the US withdrew from the JCPOA. In an interview with the IRNA news agency regarding China's cooperation in modernizing this reactor, he stated: "With the announcement of the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, China, despite its commitments, has reduced its cooperation with us, and of course, our expectations from the Chinese side were different." The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran added: "The Chinese side says that if I cooperate with you, the US may impose sanctions on Chinese companies related to the nuclear industry." The future of the Arak heavy water reactor was one of the most challenging issues in Iran's nuclear negotiations with global powers, which ultimately led to an agreement in the summer of 2015 between Iran and the governments of the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany. Concerns about the potential production of plutonium in the future at this reactor arose because plutonium can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. Iran has always emphasized that this 40-megawatt heavy water reactor is designed to produce isotopes for cancer treatment and other medical uses. However, after signing the JCPOA, Iran agreed to redesign the Arak reactor, and the US and China jointly chaired the working group responsible for the restructuring project of the Arak reactor. Now, Ali Akbar Salehi reports that after the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, the UK has replaced the US in the working group for the redesign of the Arak reactor, and China has also reduced its level of cooperation. He commented on this Chinese approach, stating that this reduction in cooperation is "while we are working based on Resolution 2231, and this project has been approved by the P5+1, and now only the US has exited the JCPOA, while the other countries involved in the negotiations support it." Salehi explained that the Arak heavy water reactor was also an unfinished reactor during the JCPOA, designed based on a Russian reactor model from 50 to 60 years ago. The Islamic Republic claims that this reactor is built for "research and therapeutic" purposes. In this regard, Behrouz Bayat, a nuclear physics expert, told Radio Farda that "most research reactors in the world are light water reactors or other types. However, why Iran has taken this path of using a heavy water reactor raises some doubts, considering that it is not a conventional method... and it also raises suspicion that someone might want to use it for another purpose." Regarding the concrete pouring in the heart of the Arak reactor, Fars News Agency reported on January 21, 2016, citing an "informed source," that the heart of the Arak heavy water reactor had been removed and its place filled with concrete. Now, about three years after that news, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, denied this "concreting" last week on February 21 in the program "Face to Face" on Iran's Channel 4, stating: "They show with Photoshop that they poured cement in the reactor pit, and even mentioned it in Friday prayers." Salehi explained: "We removed a calandria, which is the container for the fuel, from the Arak reactor pit, and since the design is changing, we removed the container to place a new one. At that time, I purchased similar pipes for the fuel container of the Arak reactor, and only one person in the country knew about it, who was the highest-ranking official in the system, but we did not announce this at that time because we knew they would betray us, and the Supreme Leader had also said to be cautious of their betrayal... and we now have similar pipes." Salehi's statements regarding the concealment of similar pipes have sparked reactions and criticisms in recent days. In this context, an IRNA reporter also raised this issue in an interview with Ali Akbar Salehi, stating: "Recently, you had an interview about the purchase of pipes for the reactor core, which has had various reflections and interpretations in the media. From the perspective of some, does this statement weaken Iran's position against the Agency?" The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran responded: "We had a series of replacement parts at our disposal, and we also purchased some, and these actions were not against regulations. There was no need to announce at that time that we had replacement pipes." He emphasized: "There was no need to announce at that time. Even now, there was no need to announce. But why did we announce? Because for three years, some have been propagating that concrete was poured in the Arak reactor. We respond that this news is not true and is a complete lie, but some dear ones prepared photos using Photoshop. They misled the minds of some of our compatriots and focused on the heart of the reality." Salehi further stated that the purchase and maintenance of similar pipes were carried out due to the "warning" of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. He said that the Supreme Leader warned that "we must be vigilant and also consider the calculations related to reversibility. In other words, we should not destroy the bridges behind us."