Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Won’t Bargain Over Bushehr

A general view shows the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the Iranian Persian Gulf port of Bushehr, 1,200 Kms south of Tehran, in June 2006.

AFP: Russia refuses to bargain over Iran nuclear facility

Russia will not bargain at the UN Security Council over its construction of Iran’s first nuclear power station at Bushehr, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday, Russian news agencies reported.

Lavrov said that European powers were trying to win Russian support for UN sanctions against Iran in exchange for allowing Moscow to continue construction of the Bushehr facility — a key building block in Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

“What they say between the lines is: `Support us on all points and we will allow you to build Bushehr.’ We don’t need that,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Interfax.

“These plans will go ahead,” he was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS news agency.

Washington has asked Moscow to reconsider the Bushehr project, saying that Iran could use an atomic power capability to disguise a secret military program.

However, Lavrov said the lucrative construction project would in fact help keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions under international control.

“Bushehr is a real anchor which will hold Iran in the non-proliferation regime,” he was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS. “The atomic energy station is being built under full control” of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Russia is NOT America’s friend and the Bushehr nuclear power station is an easy bombing target, in any case. So, who cares if the Russians don’t wish to negotiate. The plant is not operational either.

After Tuesday’s election, Moscow had better redeploy their engineers, because Bushehr will not be standing very long.