The head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, Mohammad Eslami, has arrived in Moscow for talks as the UN debates whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme. On Friday, the 15-member UN Security Council rejected a draft resolution to permanently lift sanctions on Iran, a move supported by Russia and China, while Britain, France, and Germany pushed to reinstate sanctions. The European nations allege that Tehran has violated the 2015 nuclear deal aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies, and Russia supports Tehran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy.
During his visit, Eslami, who also serves as Iran’s vice president, announced that bilateral agreements would be signed, including a plan to build eight new nuclear power plants. This initiative is part of Tehran’s goal to reach 20 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2040. Currently, Iran has only one operational nuclear power plant in Bushehr, built by Russia, with a capacity of about 1 GW, and the country faces electricity shortages during peak demand months.
Britain, France, and Germany have proposed delaying the reinstatement of sanctions for up to six months to allow time for negotiations on a long-term deal. This would require Iran to grant UN nuclear inspectors access, address concerns about its enriched uranium stockpile, and engage in talks with the United States. If no agreement is reached by September 27, all UN sanctions on Iran would be reinstated.
