Salehi: If the Chinese do not continue the construction of the Arak reactor, we will proceed ourselves

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, warned that "we inform them that if they do not continue the construction of the Arak reactor, we will proceed ourselves," a day after expressing dissatisfaction with the Chinese's slow progress. In a special news program on Channel Two, Salehi stated, "We have prepared ourselves for the worst conditions" and mentioned that a technical working group consisting of Iranian, Chinese, and American experts has been established for the new redesign of this reactor based on the latest technologies. He emphasized that "the design of this reactor is with Iran, and 900 specialists are working on its redesign." Salehi noted that "the conceptual and basic stages of this reactor's work are completed and approved by the working group, but we are halfway through the detailed stage, which has been complicated by pressures from the U.S. President." Salehi had previously reported that China had reduced the speed of its cooperation with Iran in redesigning the Arak reactor, attributing this slowdown to Chinese concerns about potential U.S. sanctions following America's withdrawal from the JCPOA. It appears that Salehi is trying to downplay the significance of the Chinese's shortcomings while warning that Iran does not need Chinese assistance. Salehi also emphasized that "all preparations for achieving a capacity of 190,000 SWU," as requested by Ayatollah Khamenei, have been completed. He mentioned that the construction of an advanced assembly hall for new centrifuges is among the preparations for reaching this enrichment capacity. Salehi stated that "we can now assemble IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges in this hall," which has a nominal capacity of 50 to 60 centrifuges. He added that IR-4 and IR-2 centrifuges have reached the "mass production" stage and that Iran is currently testing IR-6 and IR-7 centrifuges. According to Salehi, "the limitations in the JCPOA created an opportunity for us to test and prepare modern centrifuges for mass production." He also mentioned that the testing of the IR-8 centrifuge began two years before the JCPOA and will require another two years to complete. Salehi noted that "we use 20% enriched uranium for the Tehran reactor and drug production" and explained that when the fuel purchased from Argentina was running out, Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the need for a new purchase. However, due to conditions set by the U.S. and Russia that questioned Iran's national sovereignty, Iran decided to produce this fuel domestically. Salehi stated that the "benefit of sanctions" for Iran was that it managed to produce 20% enriched uranium in less than two years. Additionally, Iran announced the transfer of a large shipment of uranium ore, or "yellowcake," to uranium enrichment facilities in Isfahan, with Salehi confirming the shipment's weight as 30 tons. In the same interview, Salehi announced the launch of the "Yazd factory," which he described as "the first factory after the Bandar Abbas pilot," stating that it converts 84,000 tons of uranium ore to yellowcake annually. He noted that this factory has been upgraded in recent years and has produced about 40 tons of yellowcake in the past year and a half. Salehi emphasized that the production capacity of this factory will depend on the budget allocated to it. He also mentioned plans to establish similar factories in several locations in Yazd province. Salehi referred to the "13 positive reports from the IAEA regarding Iran's nuclear activities," which confirmed that "Iran has adhered to its commitments under the JCPOA." On February 9, U.S. intelligence agencies reported that Iran is not currently pursuing key activities related to nuclear weapon development, although they still consider Iran's missile program a threat to the Middle East. This report drew criticism from Donald Trump, who described the assessments of U.S. intelligence agencies as "simple and crude" and stated that they are making a "mistake." Salehi described Iran's nuclear cooperation with Europe as "good" and mentioned ongoing collaborations, including receiving new equipment and training classes from the Nuclear Safety Center.