Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of whether Iran's construction of a heavy-water research reactor at its Arak facility places that country in breach of its international obligations.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 1737 Iran is prohibited from undertaking heavy water-related activities. Under the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) agreed between the E3+3 and Iran in November 2013 and subsequently extended to 30 June 2015, Iran committed to not make any further advances on the Arak reactor for the duration of the JPoA. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General’s 19 February report on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme confirms that Iran continues to abide by its nuclear commitments under the JPoA. The report also confirmed that the reactor remains under IAEA safeguards.