Putin Says Iran's First Nuclear Plant Online In Summer

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that Iran's first nuclear power plant is due to come online this summer.

Putin made his remarks at a meeting on nuclear-industry matters today in the southern Russian city of Volgodonsk.

Russia has been helping Iran build the facility near the southern Iranian city of Bushehr since the mid-1990s, but its launch has been slowed by several delays.

Putin's remarks are one of the clearest recent statements from Russia about when the controversial Bushehr facility will be operational, at a time when Western powers fear Tehran is covertly seeking to build a nuclear weapon.

compiled from agency reports