TEHRAN - Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), has said that replacing the U.S. with Britain in redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor was not decided by Iran.

“Previously, China and the U.S. were supposed to deal with the technical issues related to the reactor, but Britain accepted the responsibility after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA [the official name for the 2015 nuclear deal,” he told the Young Journalists Club in an interview published on Monday.

Ali Akbar Salehi, director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said last week that the U.S. has been replaced with Britain in redesigning the Arak reactor.

“With America’s unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA Britain replaced the U.S. in the group tasked with redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor,” Press TV quoted Salehi as saying in an interview with the IRIB.

U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the nuclear deal on May 8 and ordered restoration of sanctions against Iran.

‘Iran has 130 tons of heavy water’

Kamalvandi also said that Iran has 130 tons of heavy water in storage and has sold extra amount.

“In spite of current pressure, we sold a good deal of heavy water and have also found suitable markets to sell it,” he stated.

NA/PA