Iran starts construction of new nuclear reactor, further antagonising the West

Iran on Monday (Feb 5) confirmed it hadcommenced the construction of a new nuclear research reactor in the central city of Isfahan. The new 10-megawatt facility is being built to create a powerful neutron source, according tostate media outlet IRNA.

“Today, the process of pouring concrete for the foundation of the reactor started at the Isfahan site,” Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, was quoted as saying by the agency.

Amid biting US sanctions, the new facility is expected to help in conductingfuel and nuclear material tests as well as the production of industrial radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals.

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The announcement comes days after Tehran announced it was constructing a nuclear power plant complex in the south.

Eslami said last week the construction of the nuclear power plant complex would comprise four individual plants with a combined production capacity of 5,000 megawatts.

"We must reach the production capacity of 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power in the country by the year 2041," said Eslami.

Notably, only the US, France, China, Russia and South Korea havemore than 20,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity installed.

The rapid construction of nuclear facilities suggests that Iran was looking to enhance its nuclear weapons programme - a proposition that may not go down well with the Western bloc.

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Iran's nuclear ambitions

Western countries for long have accused Tehran of developing nuclear weapons - a claim repeatedly denied by Tehran.

Iran is of the view thatnuclear watchdog IAEA'sprobe into the matter needs to be closed before any agreement can be reached on restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Notably, in 2018, former US president Donald Trump reneged on the deal and restored harsh sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to gradually violate the agreement's nuclear limits.

It was one of the reasons whyGermany, France and Britain last year refused toremove ballistic missile and nuclear proliferation-related sanctions on Iran.

The original deal stated that some UN sanctions were supposed to be lifted on October 18, 2023, as part of the sunset clause which would have allowed Iran to import and export ballistic missiles and drones.

However, the three European nations, known as E3, wrote a letter toEuropean Union External Affairs ChiefJosep Borell and said Tehran was in serious breach of the deal - meaning the sanctions could not be lifted.

(With inputs from agencies)