AEOI Chief: Iran in Talks with Russia on Exports of Heavy Water

“Negotiations in this regard are underway and (the results) will be announced in due time,” Salehi said on Tuesday May 10.

Also asked about the latest developments in heavy water sales to the US, he said, “The heavy water supply was due to be delivered to the US, but we exercised caution after the US blocked $2bn of Iran’s assets (referring to a recent court ruling by the US Supreme Court which authorized the transfer of $2bn of Tehran’s frozen assets to the families of the victims of a 1983 bombing in Beirut).”

“As long as this issue is not resolved, we will negotiate over the ways of payment (for the heavy water supply to the US) and other things in a bid to gain confidence,” Salehi said.

His remarks came after Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari announced last week that Tehran will dispatch its cargo of heavy water to the US only when Washington makes the payment.

“The United States showed an illogical and illegal attitude towards the seizure of Iran Central Bank’s assets under the recent US court ruling and it ruined the Islamic Republic’s trust in the US actions,” Jaberi Ansari told reporters in Tehran.

Noting that the AEOI is responsible for the heavy water contract with the US, he said, “All necessary executive measures have been planned by the Organization to ensure that it receives its money, and the AEOI will pursue the case in a way that the agreement and contract is implemented properly.”