‘Drastic’ Changes to Cut Plutonium Output at Arak - Iran

Ali Akbar Salehi, the director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said today that Iran has made a proposal to the world powers that would significantly lower plutonium output at Arak (IR-40) reactor.

“In our plan, we explained that we would redesign the heart of the Arak reactor, so that its production of plutonium will decrease drastically. They (P5+1) were surprised when they saw our scientific and logical reaction,” Salehi said. (Press TV, 10 April)

The future of Arak reactor, which is still under construction, has become one of the major issues in negotiations with P5+1. As it is currently designed, Arak is a heavy-water reactor fuelled by natural uranium with 40-MW power capacity. With the present specifications, the reactor would yield about 9 kg of plutonium annually, enough for building a nuclear weapon each year.

A “drastic” redesign of the reactor, what Salehi was referring to, could entail changing the fuel from natural to enriched uranium and lowering its power capacity to below 10-KW. Such changes would drastically lower the reactor’s plutonium yield. The Iranians could still use the reactor for research purposes, which has been their stated purpose, and the P5+1 could be assured that Iran will not have a plutonium route to building nuclear weapons anytime soon. The reactor could also be converted into a light-water unit to further limit its plutonium yield.

File photo: Arak IR-40 (IRNA)

Iran, World Powers Negotiations Enter Serious Phase

Resolving Tough Issues

 

Iran and world powers will begin a new round of nuclear negotiations on Tuesday and Wednesday in Vienna. Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton had a working dinner tonight, with Zarif telling reporters afterward that they talked about method of continuing talks and importance of mutual respect.

Upon arrival in Vienna, however, Zarif had said that the two sides were ready to start drafting a final comprehensive accord in two weeks.

“We will finish all discussions and issues this time to pave the ground for starting to draft the final draft in Ordibehesht (an Iranian month that begins in two weeks),” Zarif said. (Reuters, 7 April)

But Russia’s deputy foreign minister and chief negotiator told reporters Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Itas-Tass news agency as saying that there were “no special expectations for this week’s meeting.”

“Talks on a number of issues were still in early stages and the meeting should produce a basis for further discussions,” said Ryabkov. (Itar-Tass/Reuters, 7 April)

Notwithstanding Zarif’s optimism, there are some very tough issues that need to be resolved before a draft agreement could be produced.

Scope of Enrichment: Iran has installed approximately 19,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges, with 10,000 of them currently operational. Iran does not want to dismantle a substantial number of the machines, which has taken it number of years at a cost of billions of dollars to assemble. The West wants the numbers decreased substantially to reduce Iranian breakout capabilities in future. Speculations are that the numbers being pushed by the West would be less than 5,000 of older IR-1 centrifuges, giving it at least six months forewarning if and when Iran decides to build a nuclear weapon. This is a tough one to negotiate.

The West also wants Iran to stop enriching above 5 percent permanently. Iran accepted the restriction in the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), and could agree to it now. There would also be a limit to the stockpile of 5% uranium. The agreement would also entail a conversion of Fordo enrichment unit into a R&D facility.

Arak IR-40: The heavy water reactor as currently designed could produce enough plutonium annually for a nuclear weapon. The construction has been halted under JPOA. The West would push for radical changes made to the reactor. Speculations are that the proposal on the table would be converting the reactor into a light water reactor with half the power (20 MW) and using enriched uranium feed (as opposed to natural uranium).

The changes will effectively prevent a plutonium path to nuclear weapons, and will be very costly at this late stage of reactor’s construction. If Iran ever agrees to such terms, it would expect the West to pay for the changes.

Verification: The West wants IAEA’s verification team to practically be present at nuclear facilities, including Natanz and Fordo, and the ability to inspect all other facilities at will; verification abilities beyond the Additional Protocol.

On a related matter, the IAEA will be tasked to resolve questions on the history of possible military dimensions (PMD) to Iranian nuclear program in years past, specifically the work performed at Parchin. The IAEA report on PMD will probably a pre-requisite to a final accord. Verification issues are tough, but it is expected that the two sides could accept a compromise here easier than other issues.

Ballistic Missiles: Iran has repeatedly said the issue of ballistic missiles has nothing to do with nuclear negotiations and is off topic. The reality is that one of the end games of negotiations is the lifting of all Western as well as UN Security Council sanctions against Iran, and the UN Resolution 1929 specifically prohibits Iranian activities on ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. That resolution needs to be addressed, if not as part of the main negotiations, but perhaps as a confidence building measure to limit Iran ballistic capabilities at its current levels. This could still be very tricky and difficult for the Iranian negotiating team to accept.

Sanctions Relief: JPOA already defines the issue as the comprehensive lift of all UN Security Council, multilateral and national sanctions related to Iranian nuclear program. The two sides need, and are expected to reach a mutually acceptable timeframe for lifting of all sanctions and unfreezing of some $100 billion of Iranian assets held by foreign banks, basically the revenues from the sale of Iranian oil to different countries. This issue could be the easiest of all.

Arak IR-40 ‘Will Continue’ - Iran

Operations at Arak IR-40 heavy water reactor will continue, said Iran’s deputy foreign minister and senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi, discussing one of the thorniest issues during the negotiations with world powers.  

“Arak heavy water reactor will continue its work,” Araqchi told reporters in Vienna on Tuesday night. Araqchi said the issue of Arak IR-40 will be discussed in Wednesday’s meeting. (Fars News Agency, 19 March)

Araqchi did not say if Iran was willing to make changes in Arak’s design, as previously suggested by Ali Akbar Salehi, director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. The P5+1 would apparently push for such change, which could include converting the IR-40 into a light water reactor. As it is designed now, the reactor would produce significant amount of plutonium that could be used for nuclear weapons. 

Arak's construction has not been completed yet, and construction activities are suspended for six months as part of Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), an interim agreement between Iran and P5+1.

UPDATE: Bloomberg's Indira Lakshmanan just tweeted from Vienna that the French negotiator at the talks told her that today's discussions were constructive, and a final deal before 20 July (JPOA's expiration date) may be possible. She has also twitted that according to the German negotiator, Iran and P5+1 have discussed Arak, enrichment, and other issues, trying to reach a deal by July.  (Twitter/@Indira_L, 19 March)

File Photo: Arak IR-40 Reactor (IRNA)

Arak IR-40 Reactor Targeted by Saboteurs – Iran

Plot ‘Uncovered’ by MoIS

Director of security and safety at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has told Fars News Agency that authorities have detected sabotage at the country’s heavy water reactor facility and neutralized it before any damage was done.

Asqar Zarean told Fars that Arak IR-40 heavy-water reactor was the intended target of saboteurs, but Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MoIS) was “instrumental in uncovering the plot.” (Fars News Agency, 15 March)

Zarean did not provide further details. It was not known if the purported attack on IR-40 was cyber or physical. The country’s uranium enrichment plant in Natanz was the target of now-famous Stuxnet virus attack in 2010, which temporarily disrupted operation of its centrifuges. Tehran said at the time that the Stuxnet attack was part of a concerted campaign by Israel and the U.S. to undermine its nuclear program. 

UPDATE: AEOI's Zarean said several operations "were performed mechanically at some pumps of the Arak IR-40 site's second circuit to disrupt the plant's process." He did nor give any further details. (Tabnak, 17 March)

File photo: Arak IR-40 Reactor (IRNA) 

Iran technology exhibition, on sidelines of Islamic Nations Conference

Iran technology exhibition on the sidelines of Islamic Nations Conference held in Tehran.

Part of the AEOI "Atoms for Peace" display at the Iran technology exhibition: Iran's nuclear fuel assemblies, IR-40 type dummy at right.

Display of various Iranian nuclear reactor fuel related assemblies 

Collection of display cutaways of various IR-type nuclear centrifuge units

Cutaway scale model of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

Foreground: display of Iranian satellite models:  Toulou, Omid and unidentified

Background: display scale models of Iranian IRILVs including Safir and Simorgh types

Pahpad, AB-3 (Seeker-1) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

Display of various Iranian manufactured medical and scientific related products

Example of Iranian manufactured herbal drug product, ANGIPARS

Photos: Siamak Ebrahimi at Tasnim News Adency