A defiant Iran yesterday started loading fuel into its Russian-built first nuclear power plant, in the face of stiff opposition from world powers to its controversial atomic program.
After more than three decades of delay, engineers finally began loading the Russia-supplied atomic fuel in the presence of UN inspectors into the facility located in the southern port of Bushehr and considered now as a full-fledged nuclear installation.
“Despite all pressures, sanctions and hardships forced by Western nations, we are witnessing Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities through the start of the Bushehr power plant,” Iran’s atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters.
“This is the symbol of the heroic Iranian nation’s resistance and determination in achieving its goals,” he said, adding that the plant’s construction came after “lots of ups and downs.”
Western nations led by Washington suspect that Iran’s nuclear program masks a weapons drive, a charge strongly denied by Tehran.
Russian nuclear chief Sergei Kiriyenko said the “countdown” for the actual running of the plant had begun yesterday.
“Today is a great day, and we have entered the physical launch of the Bushehr plant,” Kiriyenko said when the fuel loading began.
He later said the construction of the plant was done under the supervision of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), adding that any “country which sticks by IAEA norms and safety regulations has the right to peaceful nuclear technology.”
“For us it [completion of Bushehr plant] is a proof of Russia meeting its obligations,” he said, adding that there were “no talks of building new [nuclear] plants” by Moscow for Tehran.
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‘REALISTIC’ APPROACH: The ministry said all the exercises were scenario-based and unscripted to better prepare personnel for real threats and unexpected developments The army’s 21st Artillery Command conducted a short-range air defense drill in Taoyuan yesterday as part of the Han Kuang exercises, using the indigenous Sky Sword II (陸射劍二) missile system for the first time in the exercises. The armed forces have been conducting a series of live-fire and defense drills across multiple regions, simulating responses to a full-scale assault by Chinese forces, the Ministry of National Defense said. The Sky Sword II missile system was rapidly deployed and combat-ready within 15 minutes to defend Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in a simulated attack, the ministry said. A three-person crew completed setup and
DRILLS FOR 10 DAYS: The exercises would continue around the clock under realistic conditions taking into account all possibilities, the defense ministry said Taiwan yesterday launched its largest-ever military drills intended to guard against Chinese threats to invade, including using “gray zone” tactics deployed by China that stop just short of open warfare. This year’s 10-day live-fire Han Kuang exercises are the longest yet and follow the delivery of a range of new weaponry from tanks to uncrewed waterborne drones. The drills began with exercises to counter the actions of China Coast Guard and maritime militia ships that have been harassing Taiwanese vessels around outlying islands close to the Chinese coast, the Ministry of National Defense said. Cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns are seen by Taiwan as
URBAN COMBAT: FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles from the US made a rare public appearance during early-morning drills simulating an invasion of the Taipei MRT The ongoing Han Kuang military exercises entered their sixth day yesterday, simulating repelling enemy landings in Penghu County, setting up fortifications in Tainan, laying mines in waters in Kaohsiung and conducting urban combat drills in Taipei. At 5am in Penghu — part of the exercise’s first combat zone — participating units responded to a simulated rapid enemy landing on beaches, combining infantry as well as armored personnel. First Combat Zone Commander Chen Chun-yuan (陳俊源) led the combined armed troops utilizing a variety of weapons systems. Wang Keng-sheng (王鏗勝), the commander in charge of the Penghu Defense Command’s mechanized battalion, said he would give
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