Nuclear: Tehran sends heavy water surplus to Oman
The IAEA had found a production of heavy water stocks totaling 130.1 tons. The maximum limit set in the terms of the International Nuclear Treaty is 130. This is the second time that Tehran has exceeded the production ceiling. Uncertainties cloud choices of the next US president on the Iranian nuclear issue.
Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iran has ordered the transfer of the excess part of heavy water to the Sultanate of Oman. The surplus was detected in recent days by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following up on agreements on Iran's nuclear program ( Jcpoa). The leaders of the Islamic Republic confirmed their intention to meet the limits set by the international community and the UN nuclear agency.
Heavy water is used as moderator inside nuclear reactors, as is the case in the Arak power plant, inside which it is possible to produce plutonium usable for military purposes (atomic bomb).
Last week the IAEA has found a production of Iran's heavy water stocks amounted to 130.1 tons; a figure slightly higher than the 130 laid down by the Agreement. It is the second time from the application of Jcpoa that Tehran exceeds the annual production of heavy water.
If exceeding, the Iranian authorities must transfer the surplus of material out of the country under the United Nations nuclear agency's supervision.
Behrouz Kamalvand, spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said that "an excess part of Iran's production was transferred in Oman." The rest, he says, will be transferred in the context of "the continuation of the negotiations".
After years of embargo, Iran won a partial easing of Western economic sanctions in exchange for an agreement on its controversial nuclear programme. By and large, the international community welcomed the deal with few exceptions, most notably Israel and the Republican-controlled US Congress, which is awaiting the first moves of the new president Donald Trump.
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03/10/2016 16:15
