Qatari mediators hand Iran new proposal to end the war

Key points

• Iran is finalizing a protocol with Russia to speed up joint development of small modular nuclear reactors, according to Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi.
• Kamalvandi said rising global electricity demand, partly from artificial intelligence and electrification of transport, makes nuclear power attractive for stable baseload supply.
• He said political pressure had delayed some Iranian projects but had not stopped the country's nuclear activities.

Iran is completing a protocol with Russia aimed at accelerating joint work on small modular nuclear reactors, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman and deputy for international, legal and parliamentary affairs at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, has said. He announced the move in an interview with Iran's Shabakeh Khabar television network.

Kamalvandi said the agreement would support closer cooperation on building small modular reactors, which are much smaller than traditional large-scale reactors. He said the technology is drawing growing international interest as countries look for reliable, low-carbon electricity.

Demand and domestic capability

Kamalvandi pointed to rising global electricity demand, driven in part by artificial intelligence, digital technologies and the electrification of transport. He said nuclear power could supply stable baseload electricity while helping cut emissions.

He claimed Iran's nuclear industry has reached a mature stage, citing domestic capabilities in plant construction, fuel-cycle technology and nuclear safety. He also said political pressure had slowed some Iranian projects but had not stopped the country's nuclear activities.

political pressure had delayed some Iranian projects but had not halted the country's nuclear activities

— Behrouz Kamalvandi

Comments at South Korea conference

Kamalvandi spoke in connection with Iran's participation in an international ministerial conference on nuclear energy in South Korea. He said the Iranian delegation was using the event to promote international cooperation.

He said the delegation was also arguing that countries party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty should have their rights respected alongside their obligations.