The State Department said Friday it’s not worried that Iran might use money from its sale of heavy water to the U.S. to fund terrorist activities.
The Obama administration came under immediate criticism for purchasing Iran’s heavy water, a key component for regulating nuclear reactors, for $8.6 million. But State dismissed the idea out of hand that Iran might use some of that money to fund terrorism.
“No, this was a commercial transaction,” State Department spokesman Elizabeth Trudeau said when asked. “It actually met a U.S. need … and it also helped Iran meet its obligations” under the Iran nuclear deal, which requires Iran to reduce the amount of heavy water it holds. Heavy water contains more of a certain isotope that helps it moderate reactors.
“No one’s blind to Iran’s unhelpful activities in the region,” she said when pressed. “On this, what we can say is this was a commercial transaction. It was allowable, it fills a need here in the United States.”
State has said repeatedly that it realizes that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism, and that any money it gets might be used for purposes the U.S. opposes. But Trudeau didn’t explain why State isn’t worried about how Iran uses the $8.6 million.
She did, however, stress that the purchase helps the U.S.
“The U.S. government, via the Department of Energy, is making a licensed purchase… This heavy water will fulfill a substantial portion of the U.S. domestic demand this year for industry and U.S. domestic applications,” she said.
She added that the heavy water is “not radioactive and does not present safety concerns.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan said the purchase is a huge concession to Iran, but Trudeau rejected that and called it an “allowable” transaction.
“This was an allowable event that happened. So, the U.S. was under no obligation to purchase heavy water … but the [Iran deal] required Iran to reduce its heavy water inventory… One way to do that was to sell the excess to countries or companies.”
