AEOI Official:

Russia, China Willing to Build Small N. Reactors in Iran

TEHRAN (defapress)- Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Ahmadian announced that China and Russia have voiced enthusiasm for the construction of small nuclear reactors in Iran.

News ID: 68234

Date: 23 January 2018 - 14:30

"The Chinese have worked a lot in this field and some negotiations have been held with them. They are interested in cooperation with Iran in this field. Also Russia has worked on small units (of nuclear reactors) for vessels and we have also announced our interest to cooperate with them in this sector," Ahmadian said on Tuesday.

"Iran has studied different countries which have worked on the small reactors technology and are willing to cooperate with Iran and is in talks with them," he added.

Small nuclear reactors have various uses in different industries, including shipbuilding and construction of submarines.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in December 2016 ordered the country's nuclear agency to start plans to produce nuclear fuel and propulsion systems for ships and submarines.

President Rouhani underlined his orders to the country's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to start production of nuclear propulsion system, and said, "I have called on Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano to technically help Iran devise the nuclear propulsion system."

After meeting with Amano in December 2016 in Tehran, Salehi underlined that his country is serious about reciprocating the US violation of the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that Washington has received Tehran's message.

"Given the order issued by President Rouhani to the AEOI and the foreign ministry, we discussed the contents of the order (with Amano), specially about the propulsion systems, and how to do the job and what undertakings we will have within the IAEA's framework," he told reporters in Tehran.

Stressing that it is a highly important technical issue, Salehi said that naturally the fuel used in the propulsion systems are enriched to the levels between 5% to 90% depending on the type of fuel, the goal of their use and the needed refueling period.

"We will certainly carry the job within the framework of the nuclear deal and the safeguard agreements and will not do anything beyond that," he underlined.