Moscow: Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom says it is in talks with Iran on building new nuclear power plants — 'both small and large.'

What was announced: Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said on September 29 that Russia is discussing new nuclear plant sites in Iran, expanding cooperation beyond Bushehr. No locations, timelines or final agreements have been announced.

What is Bushehr: Iran's only operating nuclear power station, a 1,000-megawatt Russian-built plant operating since 2011. Unit 1 is offline for scheduled maintenance with Russian specialists. Two more units are under construction, and about 80 Rosatom employees are in Iran.

The bigger deal: In September 2025, Iran and Russia signed a $25 billion nuclear cooperation memorandum for the Hormoz plant — four reactors totalling about 5,020 megawatts in Hormozgan province.

Why it matters: The talks deepen Russia-Iran ties amid high tensions. The US and Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites earlier in 2026, and the IAEA has been unable to inspect key facilities since. Iran holds 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity, just below weapons grade, according to the agency.

What is unknown: whether the talks produce signed contracts, and how Washington and Jerusalem respond.