Iran says to continue Arak heavy water activities following redesign

Iran will continue the activities in Arak heavy water reactor after its redesign, an Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday.

In this Saturday, August 21, 2010 file photo, an Iranian security man directs media at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, with the reactor building seen in the background, just outside the southern city of Bushehr, Iran. [File photo: IC]

As for Arak reactor, "it activities will be continued after changing its technology," Mehrdad Lahooti told semi-official ISNA news agency on Sunday.

The remarks by Lahooti came after the Iranian parliamentarians' meeting with Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, on Sunday.

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. [File Photo: IC]

The international work on the redesign of Iran's Arak heavy water reactor has "picked up pace" after a pause, Salehi said Friday.

"The joint committee tasked with redesigning the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility ... is performing its job well," he said.

"We are consequently satisfied with the project's progress because the reactor's reconstruction has picked up pace after being delayed for several months," he added.

Under the Iranian 2015 international nuclear deal, Iran agreed to redesign its heavy water reactor.