Iran and Russia discuss nuclear cooperation as Moscow proposes small modular reactors
Rosatom says the two presidents reviewed cooperation and the status of the Bushehr nuclear plant during their meeting in Bishkek.
Iranian and Russian presidents discussed nuclear cooperation and the status of the Bushehr plant during a meeting in Bishkek, Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said. Russia has submitted a draft agreement for small nuclear power plants after an earlier Iranian proposal, while maintenance and fuel replacement are planned at Bushehr. A 2025 memorandum provides for future contracts involving small modular reactors, but the supplied evidence does not confirm that construction contracts have been signed or that construction has started.
MOSCOW — Iran and Russia discussed expanding nuclear cooperation during a meeting between their presidents in Bishkek, according to Alexey Likhachev, chief executive of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
Likhachev said the leaders discussed further cooperation in the nuclear sector and reviewed the situation at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. He described conditions at the plant as calm, according to reports by Iran’s IRNA news agency and Russia’s RIA Novosti and TASS.
He said Iranian officials had previously raised the possibility of building small nuclear power plants. Rosatom subsequently submitted a draft intergovernmental agreement to Iran on the construction of such facilities, Likhachev said.
Iran and Russia have already signed agreements covering the construction of another site for large nuclear power units, according to the Rosatom chief. Russia is also involved in the construction of Bushehr units 2 and 3, while maintenance work is planned for the plant’s operating unit, he said.
Rosatom specialists are expected to begin scheduled maintenance at Bushehr in mid-September, including the replacement of fuel assemblies. Likhachev said fuel for replacing part of the assemblies had already been delivered to the plant.
The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2025 on cooperation to build small nuclear power plants in Iran, according to the report. The memorandum provides for peaceful nuclear-energy cooperation aimed at supporting sustainable development, energy security and technological progress, in accordance with the countries’ national laws and international commitments.
Under the memorandum, relevant organizations from both sides are expected to prepare and sign contracts for the design and construction of plants using small modular reactor technology. The evidence supplied does not indicate that those construction contracts have already been signed or that construction of the proposed small reactors has begun.
The reports also cited Likhachev as saying that Iran would expand its nuclear program if conditions returned to normal and that Rosatom intended to participate. Separately, Rosatom has said it is pursuing two additional 1,000-megawatt units next to Bushehr’s first unit.