Iran and Russia have signed a $25 billion agreement to build new nuclear power…

BREAKING: Iran and Russia have signed a $25 billion agreement to build new nuclear power plants, including Iran's largest nuclear power plant to date, with Iranian President Pezeshkian set to meet Putin next week in Kyrgyzstan, per Mehr / IRNA. The deal is between Iran's Atomic Energy Organization and Russia's Rosatom, covering construction of 4 advanced third-generation nuclear power reactors (~1,255 MW each, ~5 GW total capacity) on a 500-hectare site in Sirik, Hormozgan Province, southern Iran. This is Iran's largest nuclear power project to date, fitting into Iran's long-term goal of ~20 GW nuclear capacity, with Russia already contracted for up to 8 reactors in Iran overall. This comes after Russia rejected the US request delivered by CIA Director Ratcliffe's visit yesterday to press Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Russian entities would otherwise face designations under Operation Economic Outcast. Russia also told Iran the threatened measures were of limited consequence.