Iran says nuclear plant’s opening shows resistance to pressure

Bloomberg: The Aug. 21 opening of Iran’s first nuclear power plant will show the country’s resistance to “extraordinary pressure and sanctions,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization.

By Ladane Nasseri

Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) — The Aug. 21 opening of Iran’s first nuclear power plant will show the country’s resistance to “extraordinary pressure and sanctions,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization.

The 1,000-megawatt Russian-built facility in the southern province of Bushehr will be a “thorn in the eye of ill- seekers,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency cited Salehi as saying today.

The Persian Gulf nation is under four sets of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program, which the U.S. and many of its allies say may be aimed at creating a weapon. Iran denies the allegation, saying it needs nuclear energy for civilian purposes, such as generating electricity.