Russia makes 1st nuke shipment to Iran

Although Russia's nuke shipment to Iran is "strictly for civilian purposes" any type of nuke shipment to Iran will surly add to the instability of the region. Just a few days ago Israel said the U.S. Report on Iran may spark war.

JERUSALEM - Israel's public security minister warned Saturday that a U.S.
intelligence report that said Iran is no longer developing nuclear arms could
lead to a regional war that would threaten the Jewish state. Source HERE

This should continue to add support to record oil prices and increase the growing friction between Russia and the United States.

Harry


Russia makes 1st nuke shipment to Iran

By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago

MOSCOW - Russia has made its first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr plant, which is at the center of the international tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.


Iran contends the nuclear power plant operation in Bushehr is strictly for civilian purposes, but many critics suspect Tehran intends to use the plant as part of an alleged effort to develop nuclear weapons.

Construction at Bushehr had been frequently delayed. Officials said the delays were due to payment disputes, but many observers suggested Russia also was unhappy with Iran's resistance to international pressure to make its nuclear program more open and to assure the international community that it was not developing nuclear arms.

"All fuel that will be delivered will be under the control and guarantees of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the whole time it stays on Iranian territory," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Moreover, the Iranian side gave additional written guarantees that the fuel will be used only for the Bushehr nuclear power plant."

Russia announced last week that its construction disputes with Iran had been resolved and said fuel deliveries would begin about a half year before Bushehr was expected to go into service.

Two weeks ago, a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate report concluded that Iran had halted efforts to develop nuclear weapons in 2003 and that the program had been frozen through at least the middle of this year.

Although Russia has resisted drives to impose sanctions on Iran, it also repeatedly has urged Tehran to cooperate with the Vienna, Austria-based IAEA to resolve concerns over the nuclear program.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underlined that position last week after a meeting in Moscow with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.

Lavrov said resolving the controversy is possible "solely on the basis of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, IAEA rules and principles and, certainly, with Iran proving its right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy."

Officials at Atomstryexport, the Russian contractor for Bushehr, raised the prospect last week of creating a Russian-Iranian joint venture "to ensure security" at the Bushehr plant, according to the RIA-Novosti agency.

That could indicate Russian interest in ensuring that enriched uranium at the plant is not stolen or diverted. Depleted fuel rods also could be reprocessed into plutonium.

Source HERE

Further reading: Russia starts nuclear fuel deliveries to Iran: officials

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia's Atomstroiexport corporation said Monday it had begun deliveries of nuclear fuel for Iran's first atomic power station at Bushehr.

"On December 16, 2007, Atomstroiexport began delivery of the fuel for the initial installation at the future Bushehr power station," the corporation said in a statement.

The delivery process will take up to two months to complete, Atomostroiexport said.
Russia is close to completing construction of Bushehr, the power station at the heart of Iran's controversial nuclear programme. The station is expected to start generating electricity approximately six months after the first delivery of fuel.

Source HERE