By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press Writer
Iran broke the schedule of payments this year under a $1 billion plan to build the Bushehr nuclear plant, said a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
He said the Iranians cited technical reasons for the delay in payments.
Russia’s Federal Nuclear Power Agency spokesman Sergei Novikov said the delay could derail the launch schedule.
Last year, Russia agreed to ship fuel to the Bushehr nuclear plant in southern Iran by March 2007 and launch the facility in September, with electricity generation to start by November.
“The launch schedule definitely could be affected,” Novikov told The Associated Press.
In December, Russia supported a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing limited sanctions against Iran over Iran’s refusal to stop uranium enrichment.