Sources: Russia to have Bushehr nuclear site ready by Iran new year
Sources say Russia ordered that the plant be ready for operation by the holiday, which falls in March.
By Reuters Tags: IAEA Israel news Iran nuclearRussia plans to start up Iran's first nuclear power station in March 2010 to coincide with the Iranian New Year, two sources closely involved with the project told Reuters.
The sources, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, both said that Russia had ordered that the plant be ready for operation by the holiday which falls in the second half of March.
"We have been given the task of launching the plant by Iranian New Year," said one of the sources. "There is still a lot of work to do."
The second source added that testing at the plant was going well. Diplomats say Russia uses Bushehr - and major arms contracts - as a lever in relations with Tehran, which is suspected by the United States and other Western powers of seeking to build a nuclear weapon.
The United States previously criticised Russia's involvement in the project but has dropped its opposition and now says the station removes any need for Iran to have its own enrichment program.
Russia says the plant is purely civilian and cannot be used for any weapons program as it will come under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. Iran will have to return all spent fuel rods to Russia.
Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko was due to visit the Bushehr plant on Monday.
Russia in November said technical issues would prevent its engineers from starting up the Bushehr reactor by the year-end. Moscow had previously said the plant, which is being built by a Russian state-owned company, would be started up in 2009.
Iran has defied international pressure to allay fears over its nuclear program and on Sunday President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government said it would build 10 new uranium enrichment plants.
The move was condemned by the United States as a clear attempt by the Islamic Republic to isolate itself and Washington warned that time was running out for Iran to address the West's concerns over its nuclear plans.
Russia is "seriously concerned" by the Iranian statement, a source in the Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying by local news agencies.
Russia has so far refused to publicly support calls by the United States for the threat of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
Moscow agreed to build the Bushehr station in 1995 on the site of a plant begun in the 1970s by German firm Siemens. This project was disrupted by Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
The contract to build the plant is a state secret, though it is estimated to be worth about e1 billion.
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Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki speaks with Russia's Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko during a meeting in Tehran on Monday. |
| Photo by: (Reuters) |
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"The question is can they REBUILD it" - Adam Why waste bombs on Bushehr Adam? The VVER-1000 (aka WER-1000) is quite unsuitable for weapons grade Plutonium production. Israel would be wasting bombs and possibly IAF lives attacking what is no threat at all.
Iran has no oil refineries, so it sells oil, but needs to reimport it for use (this is why it would make more sense for Iran to build a rafinery if it wants to achieve self-reliance, and not a power plant, only proving that they are not interest in peaceful nuclear energy at all). Anyhow, closing the street of Hormuz may cause 40% damage to Western economies, as you point out, but 100% damage to Iran - and that instantly. I guess chances of the regime to survive a close of Hormuz are about 0.2% in the first week.
yes, do all that and then iran is obliterated. At least it will be over and israel will STILL be alive and well... it's time the proper thinking nations of the world crush iran.
Shlomo Bin Ami said if he were palestinian he too would have rejected camp david. Remember, he was the israeli negotiator and foreign minister. Lets not get carried away pointing fingers at the palestinians 'missing' opportunities.
Perhaps another point is missing : 6 : And declare total bankrupcy and total disaster for Iran.
If Iran is attacked in my opinion these are some of it's options: 1. Close the Strait of Hormuz by putting 50,000 high speed boats packed with explosives and suicide lunatics. This can be supported by guided short range missiles from the island of Kish or main port at Bandar Abbas. This would effectively choke the 40% of the world's oil supply causing all Western hydrocarbon economies to collapse in weeks. 2. Send a million strong army to Iraq and Afghanistan. 3. Activate Shiite proxies in Iraq especially and Afghanistan, tell Hezbollah to launch rockets on Northern Israel, Syria launches southern Israel. Activiate Islamic Jihad and other terror groups. At the same time probably illegally and immorally launching long range rocks at major Israeli cities. 4. Make the call to other terrorists planted around the world to go ahead with whatever they have been planning for the last 5 years. 5. Cause Shiite uprising in major Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain.
Time is running out on Iran as Israel WILL destroy all enrichment and power facilities if Iran does not stop playing games. I have never seen a government so in love with playing with fire. How many of these Middle Eastern, Arab countries have to learn the hard way. Why not join the international community and do everything on the up and up. It reminds me of when Arafat could have had all the West Bank, end of settlements, East Jerusalem and contiguous land and would not close a deal because of right of return for refugees. No deal after this one will get better for Iran based on regional history. Take it while you can or Iran will suffer as the Palestinians have done since Arafat refused that deal.
Russia has been dragging it's heels for several years. Bushehr remains leverage and Russia could have finished the work last year. Clearly a leak designed to put pressure on Iran.