MNA – AEOI Spokesman Kamalvandi said Iran has no need for financial aid from 5+1 in redesigning Arak heavy water reactor, adding foreign investment places a claim on part of the complex’s management.Behrouz Kamalvandi, Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) for International, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, told Mehr News correspondent Saturday that the 5+1 group of countries (Russia, China, US, UK, France plus Germany) have been committed in the signed document on the redesign of Arak heavy water complex to provide certain aid to Iran.
“The aid includes technical and financial, but the costs have never been our main issue, but the technical aspect is where we can definitely use some help,” he explained.
Kamalvandi went on to add, “of course, this does not mean that we will not ask for financial aid for the next phases of the project, but we have no need for money from other countries in the current stage of the redesign which is carried out by the Iranian side and its verification which will be done by the Chinese side.”
“According to predicated mechanism, Iran is the project manager and China and the US will lend help,” he added.
Kamalvandi noted that the project is well into its first year of execution and the modernized Arak heavy water reactor will come on stream in about three to four years.