Russia and Iran sign agreements to build nucelar reactors in Iran

Russia and Iran have signed an agreement to build two nuclear reactors in Iran, which will be followed with another six. The agreement was signed by CEO of Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, Sergey Kirienko and head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi in Moscow, Russia.
Key facts of the agreement

• Nuclear officials from the two countries signed the contract for building two reactors at Bushehr. Bushehr is the first nuclear plant built by Russia in Iran.
• The construction of the new reactors will be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as it was done in case of Busherhr’s first reactor, which became operational in 2013.
• Russia will supply uranium fuel and then take it back for reprocessing and this provision is intended to prevent any possibility of Iran using the spent fuel to build atomic weapons.
• Both nations will cooperate in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle and ecology.
• The location of remaining four plants which are expected to be constructed elsewhere in Iran under this agreement has not been determined yet.

This deal comes less than two weeks before the 24 November deadline for Iran to sign an agreement on its nuclear programme with six world powers i.e. P-6 countries. P-6 countries include the five permanent members of the UN Security Council viz., USA, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany.
As per the deadline, Iran has to agree to limit its uranium enrichment to a level that it could not be able to convert them to build nuclear weapons. It is expected that this deal would relax western sanctions against Iran.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2014