Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said during a visit to the construction site on Saturday that design, engineering, equipment manufacturing and on-site installation were currently underway in parallel.

He said the project was advancing steadily with the involvement of domestic specialists, the main contractor and partner companies, and remained aligned with planned timelines.

Eslami said Iran was prioritizing the use of domestically-manufactured equipment wherever possible, a policy that had enabled widespread participation by Iranian companies and institutions in supplying materials and services for the project.

He added that about 5,600 workers employed by Iranian contractors were currently active at the site, and that the units were expected to become operational in phases during the first year after the completion of Iran’s seventh national development plan.