MOSCOW, Sept. 26 (AP) — Russia will ship fuel to a nuclear power plant it is building in Iran by March under an agreement signed by the two countries on Tuesday, Russian news agencies reported.
The agreement, signed by senior Russian and Iranian nuclear officials, represents a small victory for Iran, but seems certain to inflame Western anxiety over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran says it needs the fuel for a peaceful nuclear program to generate electricity.
But the fuel could also be enriched to create weapons-grade material, and the United States and other nations have accused Iran of using its nuclear program to develop atomic weapons.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief is scheduled to meet Iran’s top nuclear negotiator soon for talks on a package of incentives that Britain, France, Germany, the United States, China and Russia are hoping will encourage Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and enter negotiations.
If it does not, the United States would like to push for sanctions against Iran, though there is not full agreement with the other nations on such a course.
Iran has already missed an Aug. 31 deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.
Russian news agencies reported that the deal on Tuesday had been signed by Sergei Shmatko, head of Russia’s state-run company Atomstroiexport, and Mahmoud Hanatian, vice president of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.
An additional protocol sets out a time frame for starting up an $800 million plant in Bushehr, which will be Iran’s first.
“The document provides for supplying Russian fuel for the atomic energy plant in March, physical start-up in September 2007 and electric generation by November 2007,” Mr. Hanatian said, according to Itar-Tass.
Mr. Shmatko said about 80 tons of fuel would be supplied, according to Interfax and Itar-Tass.
Western nations fear that Tehran could try to divert nuclear fuel used at the Bushehr plant and seek to enrich it further for potential use in a weapon.
To try to ease Western concerns over Bushehr, Russia has agreed with Iran that Tehran will ship spent fuel back to Russia.
However, Iran has resisted Russia’s proposal to conduct all of Iran’s uranium enrichment on Russian soil.
