Russia Moves to Evacuate Staff from Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant

(MENAFN) Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom has launched the primary phase of a full staff evacuation from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev announced Saturday — a dramatic withdrawal triggered by escalating military strikes on and around the facility.

A convoy of 198 Rosatom personnel has been dispatched by bus toward the Iranian-Armenian border, Likhachev confirmed, in what marks one of the most significant nuclear-related evacuations since hostilities in the region intensified.

"We very much hope that within two to three days our colleagues will safely cross nearly the entire territory of Iran and return home to our country," he said.

Likhachev further noted that Iranian authorities have taken considerable measures to secure the evacuation corridor for Rosatom staff, and that coordination with the Armenian government has proceeded without incident. The evacuating nuclear specialists are expected to depart the region via Yerevan airport upon reaching Armenia, he said.

The evacuation follows a fresh strike reported by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, which disclosed that a projectile had struck an area in close proximity to the Bushehr plant, killing one security worker. The incident represents the fourth such attack on or near the facility since the US-Israeli military offensive against Iran commenced on February 28.

The Bushehr nuclear power plant, situated approximately 17 kilometers southeast of Bushehr city, was developed in cooperation with Russia and began feeding electricity into Iran's national grid in September 2011. In November 2014, Tehran and Moscow signed an expanded cooperation agreement to construct two additional reactors at the site — an investment now imperiled by the rapidly deteriorating security environment.

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