In an indication of closer nuclear cooperation, China will provide Iran with its first nuclear power plant, the two Governments announced today.

In disclosing the agreement during a four-day visit to Beijing, President Hashemi Rafsanjani of Iran said that there were no plans for new military agreements between the two countries, and Chinese officials emphasized that Iran had agreed to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the nuclear power plant.

The new plant would have to be a much larger, 300-megawatt reactor to produce electricity. Because it would be subject to international inspection, any diversion of nuclear fuel into a weapons program would be be easy to prevent. Still Closer Cooperation

But the undertaking would solidify Iran's already close technical cooperation with China, which Mr. Rafsanjani said he hoped would expand. "Our cooperation with China has constantly been increasing," he said at a news conference today. He added that his visit to China "will help to enhance our cooperation and make it more comprehensive in many new areas."

"The actual installation may never be misused," said Leonard S. Spector, a nuclear weapons expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "China and Iran are both adhering to the letter of their non-proliferation obligations, but the transfer will enhance Iran's nuclear capability, create new skills and provide a cover for it."

In 1990, Iran and China signed a 10-year agreement for scientific cooperation and the transfer of military equipment and technology.

Mr. Rafsanjani was accompanied to Beijing by the Iranian Defense Minister, Akbar Torkan, and other military officials. Neither he nor Chinese officials disclosed the financial details of the deal, and some Administration officials speculated that the announcement today might represent only a vague agreement in principle.

Source: New York Times