By [ Kamal Yalwa], International Affairs Correspondent
Tehran, June 13, 2025 — Russia has signed an agreement to construct eight nuclear power plants in Iran, including four new reactors in the southern city of Bushehr, according to Iranian state media IRNA on Monday. The announcement was made by Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), underscoring deepening nuclear cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.
The expansion comes as Iran seeks to increase its domestic energy output and strengthen strategic ties with Russia amid mounting international scrutiny over its nuclear ambitions.
Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad previously revealed in April that Russia would fund the construction of a new nuclear plant in Iran. He said the initiative would include the completion of phases two and three of the Bushehr nuclear power plant using a Russian credit line.
“Russia and Iran will jointly undertake the construction of new nuclear energy facilities,” Paknejad said, signaling a broader energy partnership between the two nations.
Russia has long played a central role in Iran’s nuclear development. Moscow helped Tehran construct its first civilian nuclear reactor in Bushehr, which went online in 2011 under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oversight.
However, the announcement has renewed concerns in the West over Iran’s growing nuclear infrastructure.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi described Iran as his “biggest preoccupation” among nuclear-powered nations. He cited limited access for international inspectors and Iran’s continued enrichment of uranium to levels far above civilian-use thresholds.
Grossi and other Western officials have warned that Iran’s expanding nuclear program — including cooperation with sanctioned states like Russia — raises proliferation risks and may further destabilize an already tense Middle East.
The new Russia-Iran nuclear pact is expected to draw close scrutiny from both the IAEA and Western governments, especially amid ongoing tensions over Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and the breakdown of nuclear negotiations with global powers.
