Russia Announces Return of Nuclear Experts to Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant
The first group of Russian specialists has returned to Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant after being evacuated during recent US and Israeli strikes
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced on Friday that the first group of its specialists has returned to Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant after leaving the country following recent US and Israeli military strikes.
In a statement issued on Friday, Rosatom said the first team, consisting of six employees, had returned to the Bushehr facility.
Meanwhile, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi as saying, "We are monitoring the situation at Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint."
The announcement comes after Iran's official news agency IRNA reported last Thursday evening that a missile struck a military base near the city of Bushehr, only hours after renewed US strikes against Iran began.
During the recent escalation, and following the launch of US and Israeli attacks on Iran, Rosatom—which oversees construction of two new units at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant—withdrew hundreds of its personnel from the site.
The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is Iran's first nuclear-powered electricity generation facility and the first of its kind in the Middle East.
Located about 17 kilometers southeast of the city of Bushehr on the coast of the Arabian Gulf, the facility covers approximately 2.5 square kilometers and includes the nuclear reactor building along with supporting infrastructure.