Click to see full-size image. (Rosatom)
Iran’s state TV on September 26 revealed that the memorandum of understanding and cooperation signed recently with Russia’s nuclear cooperation, Rosatom, concerns the construction of at least four nuclear power plants (NPP) in the Islamic Republic.
The agreement was signed by Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev and Iran’s top nuclear official, Mohammad Eslami, two days earlier at a meeting in Moscow. Rosatom described it in a statement as a “strategic project”.
“A deal for the construction of four nuclear power plants with a value of $25 billion in Sirik, Hormozgan was signed between the Iran Hormoz company and Rosatom,” state television said.
According to the state Islamic Republic News Agency, each NPP will have a capacity of 1,255 megawatts, though no details were provided on the timeline.
Rosatom completed the construction of Iran’s only operational NPP in Bushehr, which reportedly has a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, under a deal signed back in 1993. Germany had abandoned the project in the wake of the Islamic revolution of 1979.
The cooperation remains heavily involved in the operations of the reactor, supplying it with uranium fuel and keeping some 200 engineers and operators there.
Currently, the cooperation is working on the second stage of the plant, which includes two reactors, under a deal signed in 2016.
Rosatom’s direct involvement in Bushehr appears to have protected the NPP from Israeli strikes during the 12-day war last June.
The presence of Russian workers may have assured Israel that no suspicious activities were taking place in the NPP, and deterred it from attacking it.
The latest agreement between Iran and Rosatom came as the so-called snap-back sanctions are set to return by the end of September 28. The United Kingdom, France and Germany, also known as the E3, triggered the mechanism last month, accusing Iran of failing to adhere to its commitments under the agreement. Tehran denied these accusations.
The snap-back mechanism is a part of the 2015 nuclear deal that was scrapped by United States President Donald Trump during his first term.
At a Security Council session on September 26, China and Russia put forward a draft resolution to allow another half year for talks between Iran and the E3.
Iran is, however, preparing for the worst. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran will scrap an agreement to let the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, inspect its nuclear sites if the plan to reinstate sanctions is implemented.
In a post on Telegram, also from September 26, Araghchi said a deal signed in Egypt this month “will remain valid as long as no hostile action is taken against Iran, including the reinstatement of United Nations Security Council resolutions that have been annulled.”
“Otherwise, the Islamic Republic of Iran will consider its practical commitments terminated,” he added.
While the E3 seems determined to reinstate sanctions on Iran, the deal with Rosatom could provide a way forward for talks on a nuclear deal. This could be done by simply copying the example of Bushehr, which Israel appears to be fine with.
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