Moscow has not yet reached a final agreement to purchase 40 tons of heavy water from Iran's nuclear facilities. The head of the Department for Control and Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Mikhail Ulyanov, confirmed this to the Russian media.
"A preliminary agreement has been reached, but negotiations will continue to identify the optimal conditions for both parties."
A few hours ago, the spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Hussein Jaber Ansari, said that Iran has started negotiations with Russia for the sale of its heavy water. Also a particular passage by Ansari: "some of the six world powers have shown an interest in our heavy water". The six world powers would be the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany and China. The latter reached an agreement with Iran, signed last July, to guarantee the peaceful nature of the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
The term "heavy" identifies the water in the molecule of which one or two atoms of heavy hydrogen or deuterium are present. Heavy water is considered an excellent moderator for neutrons and allows the realization, with the same weight compared to graphite, of much more compact rectors.
(photo: IRNA)
