Russia is building a reactor for Iran's first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr.
"Russia sees no political obstacles to putting the Bushehr nuclear power plant into operation as scheduled," Sergei Kiriyenko said following his meeting in Tehran with Gholamreza Agazade, Iran's vice president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
The Bushehr facility has been a source of international dispute in the context of Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions, with the United States and other Western countries raising concerns that Iran may use the project to develop nuclear weapons.
"Russia will complete the nuclear power plant as fast as is technically possible," Kiriyenko said, adding that Russian nuclear experts would stay in Tehran and present a plan of action to Agazade by Tuesday night.
Agazade said in turn that the construction schedule remained the same, and that the plant would be put into operation as planned.
"The two countries have the political will to inaugurate the plant according to the original schedule," he said.
Following Tehran's refusal to halt its uranium enrichment activities in exchange for a package of incentives, European countries proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution introducing sanctions, including restrictions on nuclear fuel supplies to the Bushehr plant.
As a veto-wielding permanent Security Council member that has consistently defended Iran's right to generate nuclear power for civilian use, Russia spoke up against the European draft and proposed amendments to soften the document.
