Iran transfers surplus heavy water to Oman

Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency is reporting that the country has transferred some of its surplus heavy water to Oman for sale.

The late Sunday report quotes Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as saying, “In view of the progress of talks with several foreign firms and countries to purchase heavy water, some quantities of Iran’s surplus production has been transferred to Oman.”

Iran was criticized last week by the head of the UN’s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, for Tehran’s second minor breach this year of the 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.

A report showed that Iran’s stock of so-called heavy water had inched above the level agreed under the landmark accord.

Heavy water, a modified form of normal water, is used in certain types of nuclear reactors.

The 2015 nuclear deal states that Iran’s “needs” are estimated to be around 130 metric tons of heavy water.

“It is important that such situations should be avoided in future in order to maintain international confidence in the implementation” of the deal, Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said last week in Vienna.

The 2015 nuclear deal went into effect in January to cap Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.