Rouhani orders work on nuclear-powered boats in response to US vote on Iran sanctions

President Hassan Rouhani wrote a letter to the chief of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, on Tuesday asking him to start working on nuclear-powered boats in response to the recent U.S. move to extend Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for another 10 years, Tehran Times daily reported.

"The United States has not fully delivered its commitments in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the nuclear deal)," Rouhani wrote, asking Iranian nuclear scientists to start developing systems for nuclear-powered boats in marine transportation.

In the letter, he also demanded the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to plan for designing and manufacturing nuclear propeller to be used in marine transportation with the help of scientific and research centers.

Also, they need to conduct study and design production of fuel to be used by the nuclear propeller with the help of scientific and research centers, the letter read.

The vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to extend the ISA was endorsed by the Senate last week. It still has to be signed by the U.S. president to become a law.

The ISA was first adopted in 1996 to sanction Iran over its controversial nuclear program.

source: Xinhua