Trouble In (The Iranian) Paradise?

It appears that troubles are escalating between Russia and Iran over the nearly completed nuclear reactor the Russia has been building. Russia is withdrawing technicians and engineers from the Bushehr project in a payment dispute that is getting worse. Iran is now publicly bashing Russia - not exactly a good way to smooth things over when you haven't been paying your bills on time.

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.

There is some speculation that it may be possible to get much tougher UN sanctions on Iran as the Russians lose patience with the people running things in Tehran. This could get interesting.

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Crab Boulevard » Cutting Off The Money — Monday, 26 March , 2007 @ 7:15 am