Israel Promises Security, Russia Will Not Leave Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

JAKARTA - Russia will not leave Iran's Bushehr PLTN project, with Israel providing security guarantees for Moscow specialists, as Tehran and Tel Aviv have been attacking each other since last week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Israel had pledged to ensure the safety of Russian specialists working at PLTN Bushehr.

"Yesterday, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin said there was an understanding with Israel, our experts working in the Bushehr (general) will not be in danger or face the threat of attack," Peskov told RBC in an interview on the sidelines of the 2025 International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in St. Petersburg, launching TASS June 19.

Earlier, President Putin said Israel had guaranteed Moscow that Russian specialists who helped build two more reactors at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran would not be injured in airstrikes.

Israel launched airstrikes in the "Raising Lion" operation targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday morning last week.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the attack on Friday because it had enough enriched uranium to make several bombs in a few days, so it needed to act, quoted from The Times of Israel.

Israel is known to target three key Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, as well as a number of scientists linked to Iran's nuclear research and development, as reported by CNN.

Tehran itself said it was entitled to peaceful nuclear power, denying developing nuclear weapons. However, its rapidly growing uranium enrichment program has raised concerns in the West and across the Gulf, the country wants to develop nuclear weapons.

President Putin said Russia had no intention of leaving the Bushehr PLTN construction project in Iran.

"I have already said, our specialists work in Bushehr. Their total number may reach 600 (people). We will not leave it," said President Putin.

Construction of the PLTN near the city of Bushehr in southern Iran was launched in 1975 by a Western German company, but was halted in 1979 after the Iranian Revolution erupted.

Russia and Iran then signed an agreement to continue the construction of the PLTN on August 25, 1992.

In September 2011, the first power unit was connected to the power grid, and was officially handed over to Iran in September 2013.

A year later, the second phase of the construction contract of the PLTN - the second and third VPER-1000 power units was signed in November 2014.

The construction costs are around $10 billion. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in September 2016, and construction began on November 10, 2019. The second and third power units are expected to start operating in 2025 and 2027, respectively.

Currently, Tehran is building two more PLTNs, PLTN Sirik with a capacity of 5,000 MW in Hormozgan Province and PLTN Karun with a capacity of 300 MW in Khuzestan Province.