Russian Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev said in Tehran on Wednesday that Moscow and Tehran are considering the construction of new nuclear power plant blocks in Iran, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA and Russia's state-owned news agency Tass.

Tsivilev said Russia is cooperating "seriously" with the Iranian government in the field of peaceful nuclear energy, adding that the two countries have many projects underway in various locations.

He expressed hope that the two countries would soon finalize a contract on exporting Russia's natural gas to Iran to help address Iran's energy imbalance.

In September last year, Iran and Russia signed a $25 billion agreement to build four third-generation nuclear power units in the Sirik region of Iran's southern Hormozgan province, IRNA reported at the time.

(With input from Xinhua)