News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Iranian First Vice President Parviz Davoodi officially launched a small power station and a water purification and cooling system at its Bushehr nuclear reactor on Tuesday.

Russia has been heavily involved in building the reactor, but recently held up construction at the site due to a dispute over Iranian payment for the project.

Davoodi said the launch despite the delay in completion of the project signified the Islamic Republic’s “determination to build and improve power plants…The plant enjoys high-standard safety measures and is ready to receive fuel.”  Russia voted last month together with Western nations at the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions against Iran for its continued refusal to halt its uranium enrichment program.