Iran appoints ex-roads minister as head of nuclear agency

Irans president on Sunday appointed a new director of the countrys nuclear department, state TV reported, replacing the nations most prominent nuclear scientist with a minister who has no reported experience in nuclear energy but ties to the defence ministry. Irans newly elected hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi chose Mohammad Eslami, a 64-year-old civil engineer who previously oversaw the countrys road network, to lead Irans civilian nuclear program and serve as one of several vice presidents. He succeeds Ali Akbar Salehi, a US-educated scientist who was a key player during the years of intense international diplomacy that led to Tehrans now-tattered 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers. The deal curbed Irans nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, but then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement and reimposed crushing sanctions. Iran, in response, has gradually and publicly abandoned all restrictions on its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium.

During the tenure of relatively moderate former President Hassan Rouhani, Eslami served as Transport and Urban Development Minister. Before joining the Cabinet in 2018, he worked for years in Irans military industries, most recently as the deputy defense minister responsible for research and industry. He holds degrees in civil engineering from Detroit University of Michigan and the University of Toledo, Ohio. Iranian media did not report details of Eslamis experience in the nuclear field, but his engineering background speaks to the countrys renewed focus on power plant construction at a time when rolling electrical blackouts have plagued the country. Iran is building two nuclear power facilities to supplement its sole operational 1,000-megawatt reactor at the southern port town of Bushehr, which went online with Russias help in 2011. Under its long-term energy plan, Iran aims to reach 20,000-megawatt nuclear electric capacity.

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