Iran Says Begins Building New Nuclear Research Reactor in Isfahan

Picture shows general view of Isfahan (UCF) nuclear power plant (UCF) 295 km from Tehran, March 2005. (AFP)
Picture shows general view of Isfahan (UCF) nuclear power plant (UCF) 295 km from Tehran, March 2005. (AFP)
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Iran Says Begins Building New Nuclear Research Reactor in Isfahan

Picture shows general view of Isfahan (UCF) nuclear power plant (UCF) 295 km from Tehran, March 2005. (AFP)
Picture shows general view of Isfahan (UCF) nuclear power plant (UCF) 295 km from Tehran, March 2005. (AFP)

Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami announced on Wednesday that a construction of a new research reactor at the Isfahan nuclear site will begin in the coming weeks, reported IRNA.

He made his remarks while visiting the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) at the Isfahan site.

Eslami stressed that Iran was advancing its nuclear program to increase the capacity of domestic power plants.

He added that the country is examining sites, especially in the south, that could serve as favorable locations for new nuclear power plants.

Iran aims to generate 10,000 megawatts of power and was looking for the appropriate site to build the plants, he added.



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.