French President said on Tuesday that the country's next-generation aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered to maintain the country's strategic independence.

Iran PressEurope: The new aircraft carrier is scheduled to come online when the country's flagship warship, the Charles De Gaulle, will be retired in 2038.

Emmanuel Macron said that the new vessel will be nuclear-powered like its predecessor because "our strategic future, our status as a great power, lies with the nuclear industry."

He said the decision ensured that the country retains its "technical, technological and industrial" nuclear know-how over the long-term and emphasized that nuclear energy is "decarbonized".

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