Iran and Russia agreed on new mechanisms for nuclear cooperation to speed up the progress of joint projects, said the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
Mohammad Eslami, who was on a trip to Moscow at the head of a delegation for nuclear discussions, held talks with Director General of Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Alexey Likhachev on Tuesday.
“Our Tuesday talks were in line with agreements and memorandums of understanding between the two countries that, for different reasons, suffered from shortcomings over the past few years,” he was quoted as saying by ISNA.
He added that they reached initial agreements to advance projects and plans in the nuclear sector with a clear picture and more quickly.
The discussions involved both the use of nuclear technology in the health sector and power plants, especially operations of Bushehr I reactor and development of units II and III of the Bushehr complex, according to Eslami.
Regarding financial payments, the two sides agreed to set timelines so as to prevent delays in the projects, he said.
“While preventing the persistence of the 22-month delay that we have had so far, we also mean to compensate for it by enhancing the efficiency of the project.”
Eslami had also met the Russian nuclear head on the sidelines of his trip to Vienna earlier this month to attend the 65th annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Tehran and Moscow signed an intergovernmental agreement in 1992 on cooperation in the sphere of construction of nuclear power plants on the territory of Iran.
In 2014, Rosatom and AEOI signed a protocol to the agreement, according to which the sides will cooperate in construction of eight power generating units.
The Russian corporation built Iran’s first nuclear power plant, the Bushehr I reactor, which was officially opened on September 12, 2011.
Construction of Bushehr units II and III started on March 14, 2017 and are planned to be completed in 2024 and 2026 respectively.
Revival of Iran Deal
Eslami also said that he would hold talks with Russian officials on ways to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement which has been in bad shape since the United States pulled out in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, prompting it to reciprocate by scaling down on its commitments.
Indirect talks initiated in April in Vienna, Austria, to work out how both sides can resume compliance.
Iran demands a full lifting of sanctions, saying it would reverse its nuclear steps after verification, but the US is reportedly refusing to remove its bans unconditionally and has added more sanctions recently.
It also appears to be using the capacity of the International Atomic Energy Agency to exert pressure on Tehran.
Washington said in a statement to the IAEA’s Board of Governors on Monday that Iran must stop denying the agency access to the Karaj complex or face diplomatic retaliation at the 35-nation body.
The workshop at the Karaj complex, which makes components for centrifuges, was hit by sabotage in June.
Tehran says the site is under security investigation and therefore off-limits to inspection.
“Countries that did not condemn terrorist acts against Iran’s nuclear site are not qualified to comment on inspections there,” Eslami had said upon arrival in Moscow.
