The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) is highlighting the country’s progress in heavy water production, suggesting it could position Iran as a leading global exporter of heavy water. Hardline media are portraying this achievement as a consequence of relaxed restrictions during a period when Iran chose not to uphold this commitment, a response to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPoA.
The 2015 nuclear agreement denied Iran permission to produce more than 130 tons of heavy water per year. After the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPoA, Iran in 2019 began to pull back from its commitments as part of its retaliatory actions, and Iran’s stockpiles exceeded the 130-ton annual limit. Therefore, despite nuclear sanctions, the serious consideration of heavy water sales remains on Iran’s agenda. The conservative outlet Khorasan advocates for Iran’s strategic foresight, which led to the decision to initiate the establishment of heavy-water production facilities in the Khondab area near the unfinished heavy-water reactor in Arak. This move aims to ensure a reliable supply of heavy water for the reactor. Iran has now become the world’s ninth producer of heavy water, currently producing 20 tons of heavy water annually with a purity of 99.88 percent, which exceeds the initially set capacity of 16 tons. This media outlet asserts that nine countries across Asia, Europe, and America are among Iran’s customers for heavy water, with their identities kept confidential for commercial reasons.
Notably, there is involvement by companies like Mesbah Energy and Masna, which are affiliated with the heavy-water complex and research reactor. The current CEO of Mesbah Energy is Mohammad-Ali Khaza’i, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Sharif University, and a close associate of Ali-Akbar Salehi, the former head of the AEOI. During a speech at Sharif University, Khaza’i introduced Mesbah Energy as a government-owned company under the AEOI engaged in heavy water production. Mesbah Energy actively recruits from prestigious institutions like Sharif University. Among other officials associated with Mesbah Energy is former CEO Ahmad Gharib, also a former AEOI representative in Russia. He currently serves as an advisor to the AEOI and heads the Institute of Higher Energy Education. The hardline media’s emphasis on the potential economic gains from exporting heavy water is sparking responses from their political adversaries. Reformists point to the criticism voiced by hardliners two years after the JCPoA agreement. At that time, hardliners complained that the core of the Arak reactor had been filled with cement, even though nuclear authorities and negotiators had consistently stressed that preserving the reactor’s heavy water characteristics and modernizing it were key achievements of the JCPoA. However, opponents of the JCPoA persistently maintained this stance.
