Iran says construction started on new nuclear reactor
- New 10-megawatt research reactor is being constructed to create a powerful neutron source, report says
- Under biting US sanctions, Iran denies any ambition to develop a nuclear weapons capability
Iran said Monday it had started building a new nuclear research reactor in Isfahan, days after it announced it was constructing a nuclear power plant complex in the south.
“Today, the process of pouring concrete for the foundation of the reactor started at the Isfahan site,” said Mohammad Eslami, head of Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, according to state media IRNA.
The Isfahan nuclear research centre in central Iran is already home to three reactors. The new 10-megawatt research reactor is being constructed to create a powerful neutron source, IRNA said.
It would have a variety of applications, including fuel and nuclear material tests and the production of industrial radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, it said.
Tehran has been under biting US sanctions since 2018, when then US president Donald Trump withdrew his country from a landmark nuclear deal which granted Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear activities designed to prevent it from developing an atomic warhead.