US was after buying heavy water from Iran: AEOI spokesperson

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Apr 2023 23:23

The AEOI spokesperson reveals that US officials have pointed to the high quality of the heavy water produced in Iran in various documents.

Technicians work at the Arak heavy water reactor's secondary circuit, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, Dec. 23, 2019 (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran)

The spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, praised the high quality of the heavy water produced in Iran, revealing that Washington was once seeking to buy heavy water from Tehran.

Kamalvandi touched on the AEOI’s accomplishments in using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including for the development of highly-needed medicines and agricultural production processes.

"We should know that the heavy water produced in Iran is among the best in the world and even the Americans were once trying to purchase it after they analyzed its properties," the Iranian official pointed out.

The AEOI spokesperson also revealed that US officials have pointed to the high quality of the heavy water produced in Iran in various documents.

According to Kamalvandi, heavy water was a subject of a dispute over the Iranian nuclear program, adding that there were several attempts to prevent the country from running heavy water plants.

"Due to containing deuterium, the water that undergoes enrichment is used in various fields of medicine and fusion, which is the future source of energy for humans," he highlighted.

The Iranian news agency Fars reported that in recent years, Iran has turned into an exporter of heavy water to foreign states.

It also cited Iranian nuclear officials as saying that Iran is producing enough heavy water inside the country and is exporting the surplus to several other states.

The agency noted that in May 2016, the then-head of AEOI, Ali Akbar Salehi, announced that several European states have shown interest in obtaining Iranian heavy water supplies.

On his part, the deputy head of the AEOI, Ali Asqar Zare'an, confirmed in 2017 that Iran is evaluating the European states' requests for buying heavy water from the country.

"After Iran sold 70 tons of its heavy water to Russia and US, some European countries have voiced their willingness to buy Iran's heavy water," Zare'an told reporters at the time.

According to Fars, heavy water is not in itself radioactive but is essential in the operation of nuclear reactors that help with the creation of nuclear power.