NTPC Chairman: India considering building a 6,000 MW gas based power plant in Iran; Rafsanjani rebuts remarks of Presidential chief of staff on election unrest; Khamenei
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    • NTPC chairman R.S. Sharma stated that the Indian government was considering building a gas-based 6,000 MW power plant in Iran, along with a 1,500 kms high voltage transmission link to carry power to India. The project is expected to cost about $10 billion. It is proposed that 5,000 MW will be transmitted to India and the remaining 1,000 MW will be transmitted to Pakistan1.

    Iran’s Expediency Council (EC) Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani dismissed the recent remarks of the chief of staff of the Presidential Office, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaii that he [Rafsanjani] tried to use the demonstrations in the aftermath of the June 12 presidential elections to bring pressure Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Rafsanjani warned of a complex plot to create conflict among the different pillars of the government and termed Mr. Rahim-Mashaii’s comments as “hallucinations2.”

    Ayatollah Khamenei meanwhile stated that he saw no proof that opposition leaders blamed for the post-election unrest were acting on behalf of foreign powers. Khamenei's comments are in contradiction with accusations frequently made by hardliners. He added that he had "no doubt" that the mass demonstrations, in which at least 30 people died, had been planned in advance, "whether its leaders know or not3."

    The IAEA in its latest report published on August 28, 2009 confirmed a slight decrease in the country’s enrichment activities. It however urged Tehran to prove that it had not done work related to nuclear weapons. Iran termed the report as positive and a proof of the peaceful nature of its programme. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei stated that Iran had improved its cooperation with the agency by allowing better monitoring at its controversial enrichment facility in Natanz, and by granting a visit to a research reactor under construction4.

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