Iran received a seventh batch of nuclear fuel from Russia on Saturday for the Islamic Republic's first atomic power plant, leaving just one more to complete the total consignment, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Russia delivered the first shipment of uranium fuel rods to Iran on December 17 and urged Tehran to scrap its own programme for making nuclear fuel, something Tehran has refused to do. "Russia sent the seventh batch of atomic fuel for Bushehr nuclear power plant to Iran and it was delivered to the (plant) site on Saturday," IRNA said.
Iran, which has now received about 77 tonnes out of a expected total of 82 tonnes, says it also wants to make its own fuel so that it will have secure supplies in the future. Officials have said eight batches in total will be sent.
Western powers suspect Iran's enrichment work is aimed at building nuclear weapons. Iran, the world's fourth-largest crude exporter, says it needs fuel for energy. World powers agreed on Tuesday on the outline of a third UN sanctions resolution against Iran which call for mandatory travel bans and asset freezes for specific Iranian officials and vigilance on all banks in the country.
Diplomats have said the outlines agreed by Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and China did not contain the punitive economic measures Washington had been pushing for. Russia and China, both commercial partners with Iran, have hardened their opposition to tough sanctions since a US intelligence report last month said Iran had halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003.