Iran seeks to advance construction of nuclear power plants

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran said Thursday it seeks to advance its construction of nuclear power plants in the country amid a nuclear deal revival on the horizon and with the world suffering from a shortage of fuel, state media reported.

"Today, the world is facing a crisis of fuel and almost all countries, especially European countries, are building nuclear power plants," Iran's Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohmamed Eslami said, regretting that Tehran had "neglected" and not previously shown greater importance to the field.

Eslami's remarks come a day after Tehran received Washington's response to its proposals on the "final" European Union draft for reviving the nuclear deal after Iran agreed to drop core demands that stalled the accord's revival.

The nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed between Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, and the US in 2015, offering Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program that it rapidly advanced following former US president Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal from the deal.

Trump's withdrawal lifted all restrictions on Iran to embark on a campaign to rapidly advance its uranium enrichment capabilities, sparking concerns it seeks to develop a nuclear bomb despite Tehran rapidly denying such allegations.

"We must be able to make the country one of the axes for the construction and design of nuclear power plants," Eslami said.

According to US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, Tehran has dropped its demand of the US lifting a terror blacklist off the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

On Monday, Iran slammed the US for succumbing to pressure from arch-rivals Israel to halt talks on reviving the accord, calling Washington out for its "weakness" and warning against the jeopardizing of the agreement.