Russia has agreed to build up to eight nuclear reactors for Iran to pursue its nuclear power programme.

The agreement will involve Russian companies building two nuclear reactors, with scope for an additional six reactors if required.

The deal comes less than two weeks before the 24 November deadline for the international community to reach agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme. The reactor deal further reduces the likelihood of a deal being struck before the final deadline.

An agreement with the international community over Iran’s nuclear activities is imperative if crippling international sanctions are to be lifted. The p5+1 countries – the US, the UK, China, France, Russia and Germany – reached an interim agreement with Iran in January this year to ease international economic sanctions in return for Tehran cutting back on elements of its nuclear programme.

The six-month interim agreement set an initial deadline of 20 July for a permanent deal to be reached, however this was subsequently extended to 24 November as a result of a deadlock in discussions.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif met in Oman’s capital, Muscat, on 9-10 November to continue negotiations, with the next full round due to begin in the Austria’s capital, Vienna, on 18 November.

The two proposed nuclear reactors will be built at a facility at Bushehr, the location of Iran’s controversial first 1,000MW nuclear power plant, which was commissioned in September 2013.