Russia calls for a ceasefire in Iran for the emergency evacuation of specialists from the Bushehr nuclear power plant
Russia plans to call for a ceasefire in Iran to evacuate its personnel from the Bushehr nuclear power plant, as the area has recently been hit by US-Israeli bombing.
Russia will ask for a truce for the evacuation of the personnel from the Bushehr plant PHOTO: Rosatom
Russia's state nuclear agency, Rosatom, announced on Thursday that it was preparing to evacuate its employees almost completely from Iran after the perimeter of the Bushehr plant was hit three times by projectiles. The operation would take place next week, according to Agerpres.
“We will communicate the evacuation routes to the relevant Israeli and US authorities through all channels. We will demand full respect for the ceasefire during the transit of the convoy“, said the director of Rosatom, Alexei Lihacev, during a forum held in Saint Petersburg.
More than 200 people, subject to evacuation
According to the Russian official, the next wave of evacuations will include more than 200 people. “Our main task now is to prepare the final wave of evacuations. There will be more than 200 people. We estimate that this will happen next week“, stated Lihacev, adding that the plan is carried out together with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Bushehr plant is Iran's only operational nuclear facility and uses fuel supplied by Russia, which later recovers the waste to reduce the risks of nuclear proliferation. Currently, one unit is operational and another is under construction in cooperation with the Russian side.
Operations maintained despite risks
In total, about 600 Russian specialists were deployed to Iran for the operation and development of the plant, of which about 250 work permanently there. So far, around 400 of them have already been evacuated after airstrikes launched by the US and Israel on February 28.
Lihacev stressed that Unit 1 of the plant continues to operate, and several dozen Russian employees are still on site. “We need to maintain operations both on site and in the residential area, and obviously help our Iranian partners in operating the first unit,” he explained.
Warning of major risks
Russia has already warned the United States and Israel of the major risks in the event of a direct attack on the nuclear reactor. Moscow officials claim that if the facility were to be hit, “the humanitarian and ecological consequences will be irreversible”.
Despite these warnings, the perimeter of the Bushehr plant was hit three times during the bombings, the most recent incident on Saturday when a projectile exploded near the pumping station that supplies the reactor with water, according to Rosatom's director.
