Iran to modify Arak plutonium reactor in concession to West over nuclear plans
Arak heavy-water facility to be modified so it produces 80pc less of element usable in atomic weapons - a key concession from Tehran
Iran would redesign its Arak heavy-water reactor to greatly limit the amount of plutonium it could make, the country's vice-president said, marking a major concession from the Islamic Republic in negotiations with world powers over its contested nuclear programme.
The comments by Vice-President Ali Akbar Salehi come as the talks face an informal July 20 deadline to hammer out a final deal to limit Iran's ability to build nuclear arms in exchange for ending the crippling economic sanctions it faces.
Iranian state television quoted Salehi, who heads the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, as saying that Iran had proposed to redesign Arak to produce one-fifth of the plutonium initially planned for it.
The issue of the heavy-water reactor ... has been virtually resolved
He said that would eliminate concerns the West had that Iran could use the plutonium produced at Arak to build a nuclear weapon.
"The issue of the heavy-water reactor ... has been virtually resolved," state television quoted Salehi as saying. "Iran has offered a proposal to ... redesign the heart of the Arak facility and these six countries have agreed to that."
There was no immediate comment from the world powers - China, France, Germany, Britain, the United States, and Russia.
However, what to do with Arak, a still-under-construction 40-megawatt heavy-water plant in central Iran, is a key factor in negotiations.
Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, his country's chief negotiator, suggested in March his country might redesign Arak to allay the West's fears.