(JTA) — Iran will restart activities at the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, the head of the country’s Atomic Energy Organization announced.
Ali Akbar Salehi made the announcement to lawmakers on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing an Iranian news report.
Heavy water can be used to produce plutonium, which is used in nuclear warheads, according to the report. Renovations recently were completed on the Arak heavy water plant, which allows it to increase its capacity.
At the beginning of the month, Iran announced that its stockpiles of enriched uranium had breached the limit set out in the nuclear deal it signed with the world powers.
Since the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal one year ago and reimposed economic sanctions, Iran has begun to abrogate parts of the deal.
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union remain committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed in 2015. They were scheduled to meet with Iran on Sunday to discuss how to salvage the deal, according to Reuters.
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