Iran to build 8 new nuclear plants with Russia's help; Iranian Prez Pezeshkian reiterates "not to develop weapons"

Tehran [Iran], November 3 (ANI): Tehran will construct eight new nuclear power plants with Russia's assistance as part of efforts to expand its clean and sustainable energy production, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has announced.
Meanwhile, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated his country's commitment to a "peaceful nuclear program" and "not to develop weapons."
Iranian news outlet Tasnim cited AEOI chief Mohammad Eslami as saying on Sunday that a new agreement has been concluded between Iran and Russia for joint construction of four nuclear power plants in Bushehr and four others on its northern and southern coastlines, with the exact locations to be announced later by the government.
The plants will ensure supply of "stable and clean nuclear energy" and enable Iran to ncrease electricity generation to 20,000 megawatts of nuclear-generated electricity, the AEOI chief said.

Russian state media TASS quoted the AEOI press service citing Eslami as saying that construction of a nuclear power plant on the coast in Iran's northern province of Golestan has started. He further said there are also plans to finish the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Khuzestan province, that had begun before the Islamic revolution of 1979.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian had yesterday reiterated his country's commitment to a "peaceful nuclear program" and "not to develop weapons."
"Building a bomb is only a tiny, disproportionate, and inhumane part of this field, while the rest serves essential human needs," Pezeshkian said during his visit to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran yesterday, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The Iranian President added that Western powers seek to deprive independent nations, including Iran, of advanced technology, aiming to keep dependent countries at the level of assembly industries.
Further, Pezeshikian noted that the hostility and assassinations targeting Iranian scientists stem from the major powers' fear of Iran's scientific and technological independence according to the IRNA news report.
In June 2025, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes targeting key Iranian nuclear facilities, including at Natanz and Fordow. It sparked a 12-day-long war targetting nuclear and military sites. The US also joined in with strikes on the Iranian enrichment facitilites.
US President Donald Trump recently warned that he would order fresh attacks if Iran restarts its nuclear facitilies.
Trump also said in an interview to an American news outlet that the US needs to hold nuclear weapon tests "because you have to see how they work."
In an interview to CBS News Trump said, "Russia announced that they were going to be doing a test. If you notice, North Korea's testing constantly. Other countries are testing. We're the only country that doesn't test." "I don't want to be the only country that does not test," Trum said in the interview.
Trump made these remarks when he was asked about his decision of "detonating nuclear weapons" after more than 30 years following Russia's recent trials of advanced nuclear-capable systems, including a Poseidon underwater drone.
Trump also claimed that the US possesses "more nuclear weapons than any other country," adding that he had discussed denuclearisation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping."We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world 150 times," Trump said. "Russia has a lot of nuclear weapons and China will have a lot. They have some. They have quite a bit." (ANI)