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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (l.) in front of the nuclear power plant in Bushehr 2021

Photo: Iranian Presidency / ZUMA PRESS / IMAGO

According to the state news agency Irna, Iran has started building four nuclear power plants in the south of the country. The plants in the city of Sirik are expected to generate 5,000 megawatts of electricity when completed, explained nuclear chief Mohammed Eslami in an interview with Irna published on Thursday. As a long-term goal, he set 20,000 megawatts that the country wants to produce through nuclear power.

Iran's nuclear program repeatedly leads to tensions between the Islamic Republic and Western states and their allies. As the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) noted late last year, Iran has ramped up production of highly enriched uranium. Experts consider the peaceful use of uranium, which is almost capable of weapons, to be implausible. Tehran asserts that it will only use its nuclear program for civilian purposes.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has described the situation in the Middle East as a “dangerous moment”. He was reacting to the deadly attack by pro-Iranian militias on American soldiers in Jordan. "The president will not tolerate attacks on American troops, and neither will I," Austin said at a press conference at the Pentagon.

But they want to avoid a major conflict in the region. "But we want to hold the people responsible for this accountable," warned Austin, announcing a multi-stage response from the USA.

Two US soldiers were killed in the drone attack near the Syrian border on Sunday. Numerous other soldiers were injured. The US government blamed the group “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” which had previously claimed responsibility for the attack. It is a kind of umbrella group for pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, which have been operating together under this general name since October 7th.

Since the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas began in October, pro-Iranian militias have carried out almost daily attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria. The US government responded with air strikes in both countries. In addition, the Yemeni Houthis – in solidarity with Hamas – repeatedly attack freighters in the Red Sea. In response, the US and Britain, with the support of allies, carried out military strikes against the Iranian-backed militia in Yemen.


lpz/dpa