In Iran, construction of a decades-planned nuclear power plant is starting in the southwest. Nuclear chief Mohammed Eslami accompanied a delegation to the Darchowein site, on the border with Iraq, as reported today by the Iranian news agency ISNA. According to the report, the pressurized water reactor in Khusestan province is expected to have a power of 300 megawatts.
Darkhowein’s thoughts on the project date back to the time before the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Construction near the great Karun River was announced 14 years ago. In the past, Iran has asked foreign partners for construction. The nuclear power plant will now be built by Iranian companies in eight years. According to Isna, the costs amount to about two billion dollars.
There has been a dispute over Iran’s nuclear program for years. The Islamic Republic insists on using nuclear power for civilian purposes only. However, the US and Israel, among others, accuse the country of striving for nuclear weapons. Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from an international deal that curbed Iran’s nuclear program. Negotiations for the revival are on hold.