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Russia delivers first nuclear
fuel to Iran
Christian
Lowe
Reuters
Monday December 17, 2007
Russia announced on Monday it had delivered the first shipment
of nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr atomic power station, a step
Western powers worried by Tehran's nuclear ambitions had urged
Moscow not to take.
Anticipating a diplomatic storm over the announcement, Russia's
foreign ministry said Tehran had given it assurances the fuel
sent to Bushehr would not be used for other purposes, and it urged
Tehran to drop its own uranium enrichment program.
But a senior Iranian official dismissed this, saying the country
would not under any circumstances halt its enrichment program
-- the source of friction with foreign powers worried it could
be used for military purposes.
Russia, contracted by Iran to build its first ever nuclear power
station at Bushehr, has been delaying delivery of the fuel for
months after the project was drawn into the international row
over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
(Article continues below)
The first batch of fuel -- uranium 235 stored in modules of several
fuel rods -- is now being stored at Bushehr in southern Iran and
the rest will be delivered within the next two months. After that,
the plant can start operating within 6 months.
"On December 16 the delivery of fuel began from Russia to
the Iranian atomic power station in Bushehr," Russia's foreign
ministry said in a statement.
The United States and allies, which suspect Iran of harboring
ambitions to acquire a nuclear weapon, had called on Moscow not
to dispatch the fuel. Iran denies it is seeking a nuclear weapon.
ASSURANCES
Russia says Bushehr is being built under supervision of the United
Nation's nuclear watchdog, ruling out any military use for the
fuel or technology. It said it had been given new guarantees on
this before sending the fuel.
Full
article here.
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