29 August 2016
Tehran - Financial resources have been allocated for construction of two new nuclear power plants in Iran, says the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

Behrouz Kamalvandi told reporters on Sunday that President Hassan Rouhani has given the go-ahead for the construction of two nuclear plants in the country and that financial resources have been earmarked by the Presidential order.

'We are going to set a date in the near future for the ground-breaking ceremony,' Kamalvandi said. 

He also said that the Islamic Republic and the United Nations Atomic Energy Organization are closely cooperating with each other. 

According to a report by IAEA Chief Yukiya Amano, 65 nuclear power plants are under construction around the world, Kamalvandi said. 

The plants are mainly in Asia while 70 percent of them are in China, he said referring to the IAEA report. 

© IRNA 2016