Russia and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to construct small nuclear power plants in Iran, in what both sides described as a “strategic project,” Russia’s state-owned company Rosatom announced.

The agreement was signed in Moscow by Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev and Iranian Vice President and Atomic Energy Organization head Mohammad Eslami.

The project is aimed at deepening civil nuclear energy cooperation between Moscow and Tehran amid mounting international pressure on both countries.