Russia delivers nuke fuel to Iran in fallout from NIE

Washington Post:

Russia announced Monday that it has delivered an initial shipment of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, a step likely to stir alarm in Western capitals concerned about the true nature of Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that it had received written assurances from Tehran that the 82 tons of fuel will be used only at the Bushehr power plant, which has been dogged by delays amid suspicions that Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapons program. The oil-rich country insists that the plant, which will generate electricity, is part of an effort to diversify its energy sources.

Russia, which is building the $1 billion Bushehr facility, had halted construction at the plant earlier this year, ostensibly because of a financing dispute. But Western diplomats and analysts here said Moscow was in fact expressing its displeasure at Iran's failure to cooperate fully with inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations watchdog organization. They said Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, were also alarmed at the bellicose rhetoric of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

''All fuel that will be delivered will be under the control and guarantees of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the whole time it stays on Iranian territory,'' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ''Moreover, the Iranian side gave additional written guarantees that the fuel will be used only for the Bushehr nuclear power plant.''

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Well that should free up the fuel Iran is manufacturing for production of bombs instead of power. I think this is just the beginning of the fallout from the NIE on Iran that said she was not pursuing nuclear weapons. The pressure will come off in other ways that will permit Iran to pursue its ambitions of threatening the world with a nuclear bomb.