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Iran to ramp up nuclear power production as talks with E3 begin in Geneva

Iran is once again at the table for talks with the E3 to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement, which was effectively rendered hollow once the US withdrew from the deal under Trump in 2018.

This handout picture provided by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran on Nov. 15, 2024.
This handout picture provided by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran on Nov. 15, 2024, shows the organization's spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi (R), and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharib Abadi (L), posing for a picture with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi (2nd L) in front of the gate of the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in Iran's Isfahan province. — Atomic Energy Organization of Iran/AFP via Getty Images

As nuclear talks between Iran and the E3 — the United Kingdom, France and Germany — began on Monday in Geneva over Tehran's nuclear enrichment program, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran revealed plans to ramp up its nuclear power production.

AEOI head Mohammad Eslami announced on Monday that the organization had begun working to expand Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in order to generate 3,000 megawatts of nuclear power by 2027 — part of a larger plan to increase nuclear power production to 20,000 megawatts of electricity by 2041.  

Meanwhile, in Geneva, a second round of nuclear talks between Iran and the E3 began on Monday and will continue throughout the week. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs and key nuclear negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi said on Monday that these talks “are not formal negotiations but rather an opportunity to clarify issues and engage in deeper consultations,” implying that this week’s talks will largely serve as the groundwork for further formal negotiations.  

An earlier round of talks took place in late November in Geneva. 

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