Russia reportedly exits Iran nuke site

[mcpeepants]

Russia reportedly exits Iran nuke site

By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 12 minutes ago

VIENNA, Austria - Russia is pulling out its experts from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build, U.S. and European officials said Tuesday. The move reflected a growing rift between
Iran and Russia that could lead to harsher U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment.
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The representatives — a European diplomat and a U.S. official — said a large number of Russian technicians, engineers and other specialists have returned to Moscow in the past week, at about the same time senior Russian and Iranian officials tried unsuccessfully to resolve financial differences over the Bushehr nuclear reactor. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because their information was confidential.

"A good number of them have left recently," said the U.S. official, of the approximately 2,000 Russian workers on site of the nearly completed reactor outside the southern city of Bushehr. The European diplomat, who is accredited to the Vienna-based
International Atomic Energy Agency, said a large number had left as recently as last week.

Sergei Novikov, a spokesman for Rosatom, Russia's Federal Nuclear Power Agency, confirmed that the number of Russian workers at the Bushehr plant had dwindled because of what he said were Iranian payment delays. He would not say how many had left.

In a commentary, Iranian state television criticized Russia for what it described as a policy of procrastination in constructing Bushehr.

"Double standard stances by Russian officials regarding Iran's nuclear issue shows that Russians are not a reliable partner in the field of nuclear cooperation," the commentary said.

The nuclear reactor outside the southern city of Bushehr is not part of Iran's dispute with the
U.N. Security Council and the reactor itself has no potential military use.

The Russian departures are formally linked to a financial dispute with Iran but have a strong political component, linked to international efforts to persuade the Islamic republic to freeze activities linked to uranium enrichment, which can produce both nuclear fuel and the fissile material for nuclear warheads.

Although the reactor is 95 percent completed, Russia announced this month that further work would be delayed because Iran had failed to make monthly payments since January. It said the delay could cause "irreversible" damage to the project.

Because of the delay, Russia also indefinitely postponed delivery of enriched uranium fuel it had promised to provide Iran by this month.

Iran, which denies falling behind in payments, was furious, convinced Russia — which has long blunted a U.S.-led push for the U.N. Security Council sanctions — was now using the claim of financial arrears as a pretext to increase pressure for it to heed the council.

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Associated Press writer Ali Akbar Dareini contributed to this report from Tehran, Iran.

[singern]

The Russian government and economy is severely strapped for cash. The only reason they are in bed with Iran is for oil and money from various projects, one of them being the NUke deal.
So the idea that Russia is somehow falsely creating this issue of Iran's failure to make payment seems very unrealistic.
More likely is the Iranian rush to obtain Nuke technology and weapons before they can be stopped by the world body has put them in this situation.

[mcpeepants]

this event shows why Iran would want to have domestic enrichment capabilities. Iran and Russia signed a deal for Russia to build a nuclear plant. The project is already years behind shedule and it appears Russia is reneging on the deal, probably due to political pressure from the West. This shows no deal is guaranteed and that's why I think Iran's refused the earlier Russian and European offers and incentives for dropping enrichment.

I think Iran should show their payments receipts to Russia to the world to prove whether the problem is financial or political. But I also see Iran not wanting to distance their relations with Russia any further by releasing something that embarassing.

[Kärnfysikern]

sweden gets 50% of its electricity from nuclear power, we dont have enrichment capabilities and we have never had a problem.

Unless they plan on building 20+ reactors or something they dont need enrichment.

[Logan13]

sweden gets 50% of its electricity from nuclear power, we dont have enrichment capabilities and we have never had a problem.

Unless they plan on building 20+ reactors or something they dont need enrichment.

Sweden's motives are 180 degrees from Iran's.

[Kärnfysikern]

Sweden's motives are 180 degrees from Iran's.

Probably. Im just saying that its bogus to claim that Iran need enrichment.

[Act of God]

That's very interesting, I never knew that. I guess I stupidly assumed that enrichment was necessary...how come this isn't bigger news? It almost seems like it makes Iran's ambitions obvious.

[Kärnfysikern]

That's very interesting, I never knew that. I guess I stupidly assumed that enrichment was necessary...how come this isn't bigger news? It almost seems like it makes Iran's ambitions obvious.

Yeah you need enrichened uranium for most comon types of reactors(light water reactors). But you defenetly dont need to have your own enrichment capability.

Iran is either paranoid or up to something. But with lack of evidence of the later its impossible to know what,

[Bigen12]

Iran is either paranoid or up to something. But with lack of evidence of the later its impossible to know what,

Everyone knows what is going on, just no one wants to deal with it.

I've watched enough episodes of COPS to know that the guy who doesn't want you to search his trunk is hiding something there that he doesn't want you to find...