Russia has lost contact with Iran’s nuclear sector leadership – Rosatom

Over 600 Russian personnel remain at the facility amid the US-Israeli attack, Rosatom’s director general has said

Operations at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southern Iran have been suspended due to US and Israeli airstrikes continuing in its vicinity, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, has said. The company has been the key contractor at the plant, currently constructing its second and third power units.

On Tuesday, Rosatom’s Director General Alexey Likhachev said that 639 Russian personnel remain at the plant. The company has lost contact with the leadership of Iran’s nuclear sector, he noted, and the status of other nuclear installations in the country remains unclear.

“The station is certainly under threat, as explosions are already being heard kilometers away from the station’s physical perimeter. They aren’t aimed at the station but at the military installations located there, but the threat is clearly growing,” Likhachev stated.

The situation at the power plant remains “under control,” Rosatom’s head added. On Saturday, Rosatom stated it had evacuated nearly 100 people from Iran, including nonessential staff and employees’ children. According to Likachev, the company plans to evacuate an additional 150-200 personnel from the facility “when the situation allows.”

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