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IAEA maintains monitoring of Iran’s nuclear plant

VIENNA — The UN atomic watchdog IAEA said Saturday that it continued to monitor Iran’s nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which was fired up amid suspicions by world powers about Teheran’s nuclear intentions.

‘The International Atomic Energy Agency regularly inspects the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran,’ IAEA press officer Ayhan Evrensel said in a statement.

‘The Agency is taking the appropriate verification measures in line with its established safeguards procedures,’ he added.

He confirmed that ‘Iran began moving fuel assemblies to the plant’s ‘reactor compartment’ on 21 August 2010.’

A defiant Iran on Saturday began loading fuel into the Russian-built Bushehr facility, its first nuclear power plant, in the presence of IAEA inspectors, who are already monitoring all of Iran’s declared nuclear activities.

The plant in the southern port city of Bushehr is under full agency safeguards, meaning inspectors will always be keeping a close eye on the facility during the start-up phase and when it is finally up and running.

But while the Bushehr plant is aimed at providing civilian nuclear power, world powers suspect that Iran is also seeking a nuclear weapon, a charge strongly denied by Teheran.

In June, the United Nations approved a fourth set of sanctions against Iran for enriching uranium, the most controversial aspect of its atomic drive.