TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Sunday that most of the foreign ministers from the 5+1 group have signed a document on redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor and the ones who have not signed it yet will do so soon.

After his meeting with EU deputy foreign policy chief Helga Schmid in Vienna on Sunday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also said the document on redesigning the Arak reactor will be signed by Monday.
“The document on redesigning the Arak reactor will be signed and published until tomorrow afternoon – Monday – by foreign ministers of the 5+1 group and the coordinator of the European Union foreign policy.”
The foreign ministers of the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany) and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will sign the document, Araqchi said.
Under the nuclear pact Iran will scale down its nuclear program and instead receives sanctions relief. As part of the nuclear agreement the United States and China plan to redesign and reconstruct the Arak research reactor so that it does not produce plutonium.
The deal is set to go into force after the International Atomic Energy Agency releases its report about alleged nuclear weapons studies by Iran in the past which is referred to as possible military dimensions (PMD).
The IAEA is set to release its report by mid-December.
Araqchi said the work to redesign the Arak facility will be carried out after resolving the issue of PMD in the IAEA Board of Governors.
Araqchi also said the contracts for the purchase of yellow cake and enriched uranium are ready.

Zarif holds talks with Kerry on mechanism on lifting sanctions

Foreign Minister Zarif also held talks on Sunday with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry on the sidelines of the conference on the Syria conflict in Vienna.

Zarif said that the meeting was held to make sure that the views of the Supreme Leader on the implementation of the nuclear deal will be fully honored by the U.S.
He added that the ways to remove sanctions against Iran were also discussed in the meeting.
Iran and the six major finalized the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna on July 14.
On July 20, the UN Security Council turned the JCPOA into international law by endorsing a resolution, setting the stage for the lifting of the Security Council sanctions against Iran.

NA/PA