Iran and Russia Expand Nuclear Cooperation with Multi-Billion-Dollar Reactor Projects

By Staff, Agencies

Iran and Russia have advanced discussions on expanding their cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy, following a series of high-level meetings between the two nations.

On Wednesday in Tehran, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran [AEOI], met with Nikolai Spassky, Rosatom’s deputy director general for international affairs.

Spassky led a Russian delegation after Eslami’s visit to Moscow on September 24, during which the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding [MoU] for the construction of small modular reactors [SMRs] in Iran.

The Wednesday talks focused on broadening bilateral nuclear collaboration, including SMR projects, as well as another MoU covering the Iran–Hormoz Nuclear Power Plant Project, which involves constructing four 1,250-megawatt reactors.

Two days after Eslami’s Moscow visit, the countries signed a $25-billion agreement to build the reactors, as part of their comprehensive Treaty on Strategic Partnership signed in January, which outlines a 20-year roadmap for bilateral relations. The treaty recently received binding approval from the Russian State Duma.

The AEOI described the discussions as “extensive,” noting that both sides reviewed ongoing nuclear projects and emphasized accelerating implementation.

It was also agreed that Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom’s director-general, will visit Iran soon to follow up on these projects and personally inspect construction progress at Units 2 and 3 of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which has been developed with Russian assistance in southern Iran.