29 Mar 2024
Saturday 23 April 2016 - 18:13
Story Code : 210847

Spokesman: Iran in final stage of talks on exporting heavy water

TEHRAN (FNA)- Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi announced that the country is in final stage of talks with a number of countries to export its heavy water.

"Considering the strategic, economic and trade issues, we have studied different countries and are in the final stages of talks with a number of them to sell our excess heavy water to them," Kamalvandi said in an interview with state TV on Saturday.

In relevant remarks in Vienna on Friday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi said that Iran would sell 32 metric tons of heavy water to the United States.

He confirmed that the AEOI and a US company reached an agreement on heavy water sale on Friday before a joint commission meeting between Iran and the G5+1 group of countries (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany).

He added that the agreement was signed following three months of negotiations.

Araqchi and Helga Schmid, who represents the G5+1 countries, held four-hour talks in Vienna on Friday for the first time after Iran and the six world powers started implementing the nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on January 16.

During the meeting, Araqchi and Schmid discussed the process of the JCPOA implementation and obstacles in this regard as well as the lifting of sanctions against Iran.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany signed the JCPOA on July 14, 2015 following two and a half years of intensive talks.

Under the JCPOA, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US would be lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities.

Meantime, a US State Department of Energy spokeswoman said on Friday that the agency will buy 32 metric tons of heavy water from Iran for $8.6 million.

"The United States will not be Iran's customer forever," the spokeswoman said, adding that the department plans to sell the heavy water to commercial and research entities, including a national lab, inside the US.

Meanwhile, State Department Spokesman John Kirby said Iran's compliance with the landmark nuclear agreement meant that the heavy water had already been removed from Iran.

"Our purchase of the heavy water means that it will be used for critically important research and non-nuclear industrial requirements," Kirby added.

The JCPOA allows Iran to sell its enriched uranium material - called UF6 - and to buy natural uranium or yellow cake in return.

By Fars News Agency
https://theiranproject.com/vdcbagb5zrhb8wp.4eur.html
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