Iran intends to restart activities at Arak heavy water nuclear reactor: ISNA
The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali
Akbar Salehi, told lawmakers on Sunday that Iran will restart activities at the
Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, the ISNA news agency reported.
ISNA cited a member of parliament who attended the
meeting. Heavy water can be employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel
used in nuclear warheads.
During Sunday’s meeting of the “independent” faction
of the parliament, the topic of the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor was
discussed with Salehi, and the decision was made to restart activities at the
nuclear reactor, said the spokesman for the “independent” faction of the
Iranian parliament, Mehrdad Lahouti, according to ISNA.
According to Lahouti, Salehi emphasized on the need
to continue nuclear activities, saying that Iran has no choice but to continue
producing nuclear energy.
“Currently, the enemies of Iran are aware that we
have the knowledge and ability to produce nuclear energy, but we do not intend
to produce nuclear weapons because of religious reasons,” Lahouti qouted Salehi
as saying.
In May, Iran announced planned measures to breach
the nuclear agreement with major world powers following the US withdrawal from
deal and Washington’s re-imposition of tough sanctions.
On July 3, President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran
would increase its uranium enrichment levels and start to revive its Arak
heavy-water reactor after July 7 if the nations in the nuclear pact did not
protect trade with Iran promised under the deal but blocked by the US
sanctions.
