Russia to start Iran nuclear reactor

Iran:Russia will start up the nuclear reactor it is building at Iran's Bushehr atomic power plant in mid-2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

They continue work on developing atomic energy capacity both at home and abroad. The start-up of the first reactor of the Bushehr atomic power station is planned for this summer.

The United States has dropped its opposition and says the plant removes any need for Iran to have its own uranium enrichment programme. Russia says the plant is purely civilian and cannot be used for any weapons programme as it will come under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. Iran will have to return all spent fuel rods to Russia.