Iran Official Rules Out Change to Heavy-Water Reactor
Iran Official Rules Out Change to Heavy-Water Reactor – Global Security Newswire.
Feb. 12, 2014
By Diane Barnes
Global Security Newswire
An Iranian official on Wednesday set aside the idea of potentially altering a nuclear reactor that other nations fear could produce atomic-bomb fuel.
Iran cannot convert its Arak heavy-water reactor to a light-water facility, Hamid Babaei, a spokesman for Iran’s delegation to the United Nations, wrote in a Wednesday commentary published by the London Guardian.
Such a change would reduce the unfinished site’s capacity to produce weapon-usable plutonium once activated, addressing a major concern shared by world powers as they seek a deal with Iran aimed at preventing its atomic assets from supporting any nuclear-arms production. But the diplomatic official said this kind of modification would prove infeasible.
“It is now too late to change [the Arak reactor] into a light-water prototype, as some have suggested in the West,” Babaei wrote. “This ‘generous’ offer should have been made much earlier.”
His assertion came a week after Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, reportedly expressed openness to modifying the Arak site “to produce less plutonium.”
On Tuesday, a former U.S. national security staffer said shutting down or significantly altering the Arak reactor would be one of the Obama administration’s “key considerations” in seeking a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran. The Persian Gulf power, which insists the site is strictly for medical use, is set on Feb. 18 to begin talks on the potential deal with China, Germany, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“If Iran genuinely intends Arak to be a facility that produces medical isotopes only, it should be able to agree to such modifications without significant fuss,” Jofi Joseph, a former White House nonproliferation official, wrote in a Tuesday analysis for Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
In Senate testimony last week, the Obama administration’s senior Iran negotiator dismissed Tehran’s rationale for building the heavy-water facility.
“We do not believe there is any reason for a heavy-water reactor at all in a civil nuclear program of the type that Iran is interested in,” Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. She did not explicitly say in testimony whether the United States would demand the facility’s closure or conversion.
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WarSclerotic 
February 14, 2014 at 1:04 AM
Iran is a sovereign nation state, and it is not for other countries to decide what kind of nuclear program Iran canhave, as long as Iran complies with the guidelines of the IAEA and the NPT. The US’ brouhaha about the Arak facility is ludicrous, because in order to separate the plutonium from the irradiated fuel, Iran would have to build a separate plant, which will take many years to build, and it is impossible to do that unnoticed.
February 14, 2014 at 11:08 AM
There are liars. goddamn liars and then there is renbe.
First, these are not merely guidelines of the IAEA but clearly defined obligations.
Iran commited itself to fulfill these obligations by signing the relevant agreements with the IAEA.
Iran failed to fulfill its obligations to the IAEA.
This is documented in multiple publications of the IAEA.
Next, the thing that is ludicrous is that you want to convince us that the concerns about Arak are just a brouhaha.
As you should know, many Iranian nuclear facilities were build in secret and kept secret.
Iran admitted the existence of the nuclear facilities in Natanz and Fordow only after they were revealed by intelligence services or dissidents. That was after these facilities were built. So much for your claim that the building of a separate plant would be impossible to go unnoticed.
Next, how do you spell hypocrite?
If you are so concerned about national souveregnity, why the hell does Iran meddle in the internal affairs of Syria, Lebanon and Israel?
Mind your own businness or quit whining.
Finally, there is no way that you don’t know all these facts.
Conclusion: Either you are utterly stupid or you are a baldfaced liar.
As for me, I believe that you are just a liar.
February 14, 2014 at 8:38 PM
He’s doing what he’s told to do at the point of a gun. A very low level operative to bother with this site.
While his posts are either political talking points or obvious falsehoods I’m not sure that means he’s a liar personally. I like to imagine him as a prisoner doing what his jailers order while he waits to be finally freed.
Artaxes, it’s great that you are correcting his distorting falsehoods.
Keep it up !
February 14, 2014 at 9:24 PM
Ít may be that he is doing work for someone else.
In this case he should consider my replies as a message for his masters and not for himself.
February 14, 2014 at 9:27 PM
renbe,
You should know, as the world moves futher into the 21st Century grey matter will be critical to success and survival. Any civilization that uses only have of its grey matter, keeping the other half uneducated an covered in Burkas is ultimatly doomed to faluire. It is written!!!
February 14, 2014 at 10:12 PM
renbe,
You should know that any civilization that keeps half of its popuation under wrapes and subjugates other parts of its population due to sexual preference or religion can only do so using brute force. In the 21st Century information and utilitarianism will spread around the world at the speed of light crushing those who try to hold it back.It is written!It is inevitable!
February 14, 2014 at 10:54 PM
Sounds like your christian zealots john there is nothing between them and islam,Renbe is actually correct in the context of plutonium ,its written lmao
February 14, 2014 at 11:02 PM
Justice your view is to narrow open your eyes and look at the big picture…
February 14, 2014 at 11:06 PM
“Sounds like your christian zealots”
Justice information and utilitarianism has nothing to due with religion and everything to do with humanism. Are you really this clueless???
February 14, 2014 at 11:17 PM
In defense of Renbe, I’m not shocked by what he says. Right or wrong, he always defends Iran and never seems to attack anyone personally. But Justice, I have to say, I’m a bit surprised regarding your comments about us Christians and our belief in an ‘imaginary deity’. Of course you are free to express your beliefs, but attacking mine is personal. I’ll leave it at that for now. I’m a big boy and can take it. I just want you to know I take everyone’s comments to heart on this blog and fully respect them all.
February 14, 2014 at 11:18 PM
“No john its as wide as your worn out ass”
Right, if you can’t engage sophisticated conversations, fall back on what you do best, crass idiocy.
February 14, 2014 at 11:41 PM
John, I’ve blocked Justice (once again) from commenting here after reading his “crass idiocy” aimed at you.
He just can’t seem to stop abusing people, even when he’s trying.
I’m sorry to have to do it, I enjoy his unique input though I rarely agree with it. However, this level of abusive discourse damages the legitimacy of this site.
February 15, 2014 at 4:22 PM
well JW you will find that most people dont agree full stop with the comments on this blog on your endless call to war on iran or the belligerence of israel and Palestine when it comes to peace process and if john doesn’t like being abused then dont do it to me because at some point i am going to get very pissed with john and his bigoted comments ,it is him abusing me go back and read some of the things he has said to me in the last week ,i will remind you that i have some very powerful friends in america who will be very unimpressed if i bring up that john is constantly hassling and thats your final warning John, ,this is why Israels supporters are abandoning in there droves ,it is disgusting that you have the intent to sabotage the nuclear negotiations with iran,I have several diplomatic friends have recently comment what a thorn in there side and how nonconstructive it is,you would be better showing a more reconciling of israel rather than proving your adversary’s right,You cant see the damage that your doing,the EU is quoting off the comments in this site at this moment as evidence for the implementation of sanctions this is very bad for israel and could lead to its destruction ,so why fuck yourselves i have a point,and why let people like john spend there time winding others up if you dont want my comments or help no problem,but dont take the piss by allowing johns torrent of BS and not expecting me to say something back ,,also i will point out i had 3 virus sent to me from your email address still no explanation for that ,one of them has cost me a $7000 sun workstation
February 15, 2014 at 4:37 PM
Nuclear negotiations with Iran? What are the terms. The State Department won’t even disclose the terms of the agreement, not even to Congress. That’s why I sarcastically say, “Why don’t we sign it to see what’s in it”. (We probably already have signed the damned thing. We just don’t know it yet.) My insincere apologies to Nancy Pelosi for using her rhetoric.
February 15, 2014 at 5:42 PM
Steve i agree with you on this,but i can also see why the terms have not yet been published,also there is no evidence ether way to what the real outcome will be,so i wait when i have seen the terms then i will make my own decision on whether to support them,But for now i am all for seeing what the outcome is as if it leads to war it will engulf us all no joke,people telling you the opposite to this are ignorant,its morally right to explore the diplomatic process until it is exhausted,Israel should of acted in its own interests long before it had the possibility’s of dragging us all down with it,It is bibi who has messed up not the EU or NATO or USA,it is time to start blaming him
February 15, 2014 at 6:21 PM
“It is bibi who has messed up not the EU or NATO or USA,it is time to start blaming him”
Justice, on this point, you and I are in complete agreement.
February 15, 2014 at 7:58 PM
to John p no more trading insults thats the end of it from me its not a help and i am sorry JW
February 14, 2014 at 11:10 PM
And renbe your section chief is right some people are listening to you but best to back the talk up with action before the psychopaths level your country
February 14, 2014 at 10:14 PM
renbe,
You should know, you are on the wronge side of history.
February 15, 2014 at 7:54 PM
I rekon renbe is on his own side of history ,these are not the rantings of crazed mullah,this is the voice of of a form of decent but within the Iranian RGC,They wish to preserve themselves they may even one day reverse the revolution with that intent,I finally worked it out who renbe are,am sure about this,i think we should be more debating with him,i wish they would reply to comments about them ,i am very interested in listening to what they actually have to say and clarifying what they mean,I hope you read this Renbe,