The Oligarch’s Design: Tracing Power, Politics, Influence
The Oligarch’s Design is an investigative documentary that examines how financial power, political influence, and carefully constructed narratives c...
Less than two weeks after signing of agreements between Iran and Russia on nuclear energy production, Tehran and Moscow have begun discussions to implement said agreements for construction of nuclear power reactors
According to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), its chief Mohammad Eslami met Nikolai Spassky, Deputy Director for International Affairs of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, in Tehran on Wednesday.
The Iranian and Russian delegations held detailed negotiations on the development of cooperation in the field of small modular reactors (SMRs) which can generate up to 300 Megawatts of nuclear power as well as the construction of four 1250 Megawatts reactors, it said.
Last Thursday, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Iran and Russia entered into force and will be valid for 20 years. It was concluded in January 2025, in Moscow by President Masoud Pezeshkian and President Vladimir Putin.
It consists of 47 articles addressing cooperation in technology, information and cybersecurity, peaceful nuclear energy collaboration, counterterrorism efforts, regional cooperation, environmental issues, and combating money laundering and organized crime.
Article 23 of the document is specifically dedicated to cooperation in the field of nuclear reactors. It lays down, “The Contracting Parties shall promote the development of long-term and mutually beneficial relations for the purpose of implementing joint projects in the area of peaceful use of nuclear energy, including the construction of nuclear energy facilities.”
The talks in Tehran followed Eslami’s visit to Moscow in September during which two cooperation agreements were signed in the field of small modular reactors and the Iran-Hormoz major nuclear power plant project to build four 1250 Megawatts reactors with a value of over 25 billion dollars.
The announcement comes as the UN nuclear sanctions on Iran were reinstated last month despite of a joint Russia-China draft resolution at the Security Council proposing a six-month delay in their return.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran also announced that the Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev will be visiting Iran soon to follow up on the agreed issues including progress in the construction of Units 2 and 3 of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.
Iran’s Persian Gulf province of Bushehr is hosting its first ever 1000-Megawatt nuclear power plant which was built and connected to the national grid in 2012 based on an agreement with Rosatom.
The Russian firm took over the project after the German Siemens company withdrew from its 1974 contract with Iran following the Islamic Revolution which ousted the pro-west shah monarchy in 1979.
Germany was one of the European powers including France and the UK which as signatories of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA) referred their dispute with Tehran to the Security Council resulting in the re-imposition of the UN nuclear sanctions.
The Iranian lawmakers are demanding the Foreign Ministry lower Tehran’s diplomatic relations with the E3 saying their move against Iran was meant to secure the U.S. support of Ukraine in its war with Russia.
In the wake of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran and bombing of its civilian nuclear sites under the UN nuclear watchdog’s verification last July, the MPs passed a legislation suspending Terhan’s ties with the Vienna-based IAEA.
The lawmakers are also reviewing draft bills calling for withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) after the pre-2015 sanctions were reimposed on Iran.
Japan has lifted a tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the country's northeastern region on Friday (12 December), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA had earlier put the earthquake's preliminary magnitude at 6.7.
The United States issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela on Thursday, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.
The resignation of Bulgaria's government on Thursday (11 December) puts an end to an increasingly unpopular coalition but is likely to usher in a period of prolonged political instability on the eve of the Black Sea nation's entry into the euro zone.
An extratropical cyclone has caused widespread disruption across Brazil’s São Paulo state, with powerful winds toppling trees and power lines, blocking streets and leaving large parts of the region without electricity.
Pakistan has indicated its openness to forming a regional bloc with Bangladesh without including India. The statement from Islamabad follows comments by Bangladesh’s top foreign affairs adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, that such an arrangement is strategically possible without India.
A flash of light followed by the sound of an explosion was observed over Gaza early on Saturday, according to witnesses, as severe winter storms worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis in the territory.
Hundreds of people gathered for a second consecutive week at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, on Friday (12 December), to support the family of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last remaining Israeli hostage whose body is believed to be held in Gaza.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a closed-door discussion on the sidelines of the International Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday.
Kazakhstan has begun redirecting part of its crude exports, sending oil from Kashagan to China as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) operates at reduced capacity.
Azerbaijan’s post-conflict reconstruction in Karabakh is attracting international attention. The book by British author Graeme Wilson documents this journey, combining first-hand reporting and digital storytelling to highlight both the region’s restoration and the human stories behind it.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment