Iran will start its activities at the Arak heavy-water nuclear reactor, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi told lawmakers on Sunday.
Heavy water can be used to create a nuclear bomb.
The announcement came as diplomats from Iran and other signees of the 2015 nuclear deal—Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union—met in Vienna on Sunday to save the agreement, which the United States withdrew from in May 2018, reimposing sanctions lifted under it, as well as enacting new financial penalties against the regime.
“The atmosphere was constructive, and the discussions were good,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi told reporters following the meeting.
He added that while all the issues haven’t been resolved, the remaining parties are “determined to save this deal.”
Earlier this month, Iran exceeded the uranium enrichment limit under the deal.
The regime has also increased global tensions after seizing two U.K.-owned oil tankers this month in the Strait of Hormuz after shooting down a U.S. drone in June.
