Iran resumes talks with Russia over nuke facility Russia/Iran

Iran has revived talks with Russia to build a new nuclear power plant, it was revealed yesterday, as Tehran told Europe it was waiting on guarantees to save the nuclear deal.

The new plant will be capable of generating up to 3000 megawatts of electricity – 2000 more than the state currently has the capacity to produce, according to Reza Ardakanian, Iran’s energy minister. It already runs one Russian-built nuclear reactor at Bushehr, its first. Russia signed a deal with Iran in 2014 to build up to eight more reactors in the country.

The US pulled out of a deal between Tehran and major powers to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and Washington imposed new sanctions on Tehran in August. Iran and European signatories are trying to keep alive the 2015 landmark accord, which waived sanctions in turn for Iran curbing its nuclear -programme.

The European Union is trying to mitigate the punitive measures as Donald Trump’s administration prepares to impose a second wave of sanctions in November.

The main weapon the EU has developed is an updated version of a ‘‘blocking statute’’, which would forbid European companies from complying with the US measures and allowing them to recover damages arising from the sanctions.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, said yesterday: ‘‘We are still waiting for Europe to take action on the sale of Iranian oil and the preservation of banking channels.’’

Zarif also defended the EU’s decision to provide €18 million (NZ$31 million) in aid to Iran to offset the impact of the ‘‘snapback’’ sanctions.

‘‘This is a package that will help both sides have communication with each other and it doesn’t have anything to do with the nuclear agreement and other hype,’’ the minister said.

Brian Hook, the senior US envoy on Iran, criticised the EU aid to Tehran on Saturday and said it sent ‘‘the wrong message at the wrong time’’.

– Telegraph Group