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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.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources reported a significant movement of U.S. military aircraft towards the Middle East in recent hours. Dozens of U.S. Air Force aerial refuelling tankers and heavy transport aircraft were observed heading eastwards, presumably to staging points in the region.
Snow and ice stalled travellers in northwest Europe on Wednesday, forcing around a thousand to spend the night in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport but delighting others who set out to explore a snow-blanketed Paris on sledges and skis.
Diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated as Japan slams China's export ban on dual-use goods. Markets have wobbled as fears grow over a potential rare earth embargo affecting global supply chains.
Two people have been killed after a private helicopter crashed at a recreation centre in Russia’s Perm region, Russian authorities and local media have said.
Iran’s chief justice has warned protesters there will be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic”, as rights groups reported a rising death toll during what observers describe as the country’s biggest wave of unrest in three years.
Tens of thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets in Tehran and across at least 28 cities in a wave of anti-government demonstrations, now entering their twelfth day.
Iran is now facing a near‑total internet blackout as anti-government protests sweep the country. Major cities including Tehran have seen connectivity drop sharply, leaving millions of residents isolated from online communication.
A series of statements by Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has reignited debate over freedom of speech, the role of the Orthodox Church, and the influence of the European Union.
A significant development in the complex Azerbaijan - Armenia scenario is the growing confrontation between Armenia’s political leadership and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
President Ilham Aliyev has said the opening of the Zangezur corridor is no longer in question, describing it as a strategic transport link that will connect mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and carry cargo from China and Central Asia to wider regional markets.
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