Iranian FM to meet with Russian atomic energy chief in Moscow

Manouchehr Mottaki's talks with Sergei Kiriyenko come as Iran is pressing Russia to finish construction on the US$1 billion Bushehr nuclear power plant.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Mottaki 298.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Mottaki 298.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Iran's foreign minister was slated to meet with the head of Russia's atomic energy ministry Wednesday for talks on the long-delayed Bushehr nuclear power plant, as Moscow reportedly pushes Teheran for more openness on the state of past atomic activities. Manouchehr Mottaki's talks with Sergei Kiriyenko come as Iran is pressing Russia to finish construction on the US$1 billion plant - Iran's first - and agree on a date to deliver nuclear fuel. Completion of the plant has been held up by delays in Iranian payments, Russian officials say, but Iranian officials have denied delays and accused Russia of caving in to Western pressure. Teheran insists the plant will only be used to generate electricity. But some Western nations, in particular the United States, believe that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and have pushed the United Nations to impose strict sanctions. The Security Council, which includes Russia, has demanded that Iran suspend its uranium enrichment program. While Russia has continued to oppose a US push for tougher sanctions against Teheran, Russian officials have shown growing irritation with Iran's refusal to freeze its enrichment effort. A European diplomat last month said that Moscow had warned Teheran it would not deliver fuel to the plant unless Teheran lifts the veil of secrecy on suspicious past atomic activities. Enriched to a low degree, uranium is used as a reactor fuel; higher enrichment creates material for a nuclear warhead. The United States and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Teheran denies.