MOSCOW (AP) – The Russian state-run company building Iran’s first atomic power plant said Monday that Tehran has made its first payment toward the delayed construction of the Bushehr plant since a dispute over financing halted the project.
“The fact that our Iranian partners have overcome their difficulties is positive, however, it far from compensates for the requirements of the (project) that have arisen during the period of nonpayment,” Atomstroiexport spokesman Sergei Novikov said in a statement.
The company also said the new payment was just half of the monthly amount needed for a normal construction schedule to be resumed.
Moscow and Tehran have been at loggerheads over financing of the plant, and Russia earlier this month said that nuclear fuel would not be supplied this month, as had been planned. The delays prompted Russia to indefinitely postpone the reactor’s launch, set for September.
Iran, meanwhile, angrily denied falling behind in payments and accused Russia of caving in to U.S. pressure to take a tougher line on Tehran for defying international demands to halt parts of its nuclear program.
Russian officials denied media speculation that it was putting political pressure on Iran under cover of the financial dispute.
The announcement came as members of the U.N. Security Council, including Russia, on Saturday unanimously voted to impose new sanctions on Iran, including the banning of Iranian arms exports and the freezing of assets of 28 people and organizations involved in Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
Iran rejected the sanctions and later announced a partial suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Novikov also said that more than 2,000 Russian specialists continue to work at the Bushehr site.
Last week, U.S. and European officials had told The Associated Press that Russia was bringing home its technicians and engineers from the Bushehr project.
