Tehran, Jan 24 (RIA Novosti) Russia delivered Thursday a sixth fuel shipment to the Bushehr nuclear power plant it is building in southern Iran, the Islamic Republic’s state-run media said, citing Iranian nuclear officials.
With the latest shipment, Russia has so far supplied a total of 66 metric tons of low-enriched uranium to the plant, which has been the focus of international attention over fears Iran is developing nuclear weapons.
The first delivery to the plant, being built by Russian contractor Atomstroyexport, came on Dec 16, 2007 following months of project delays that Moscow attributed to payment arrears, but which Iran blamed on pressure from Western nations.
The remaining two shipments will be delivered according to a previously agreed timetable by the end of February.
Under a bilateral intergovernmental contract, Russia is set to deliver a total of 82 metric tons of nuclear fuel divided into eight shipments. Deliveries are monitored by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham earlier said Tehran expected bilateral relations to gain much from the fuel deliveries.
“Russia and Iran maintain good, developing relations. The deliveries of nuclear fuel for the Bushehr nuclear power plant are also a good pretext for boosting cooperation between our countries,” he said.
Tehran is planning to hold tenders for the construction of 19 new nuclear reactors, said officials.