Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), announced on Sunday that the country is planning to launch the construction of the "nuclear island" of the Darkhovin (Karun) Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the fall.

A nuclear island is a complex of buildings and structures that ensure the functioning of a nuclear reactor of an NPP.

"God willing, the first concrete pouring of the nuclear island will be carried out this year at the Karun nuclear power plant ... I hope [it will happen] in the fall," Eslami was quoted as saying by the Iranian government on Telegram.

Pouring concrete into the foundation of the nuclear island means a full-fledged start of construction not only of the reactor building but also of the entire NPP power unit.

Eslami's announcement comes ahead of a visit planned by the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, to Iran, where he will convene with high-ranking Iranian officials.

Back in November 2023, Eslami said that Iran had invited 130 of the world’s prominent nuclear researchers to the country's first International Nuclear Conference. Grossi said a trip to Tehran to attend the conference is on his agenda.

It is noteworthy that Iran has repeatedly affirmed that its nuclear program only serves peaceful purposes. In the early 2000s, Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree banning the development of nuclear weapons.

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