Russia to build nuclear reactors in Iran

Russia has agreed to build up to eight nuclear reactors in Iran, after officials from the two nations signed new agreements Tuesday.

According to the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA), the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, signed a number of energy related agreements in Moscow today with Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Russia's Rosatom state corporation.

In addition to establishing two new nuclear reactors in the Iranian city of Bushehr, the agreements focused on strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in the field of nuclear energy.

Salehi described the agreements as "a turning point in the bilateral relations between the two countries, in general." He revealed that the agreements outlined the establishment of five nuclear reactors in total, including the two in Bushehr.

However, the official Russian News Agency (RIA) said that the agreements were based on the consensus that eight new nuclear reactors would be built in Iran, four of them in Bushehr, and that all of these projects would be overseen by the Atomic Energy Agency.

Russia built its first nuclear reactor in Bushehr in 1999 based on an agreement that was signed by the two countries in 1995. The reactor did not start operating until 2012. Experts believe American and Zionist pressure on Russia delayed use of the site.