A top Iranian nuclear official said today that Russia's delay in delivering nuclear fuel justifies Iran's stance in its nuclear dispute with the West, state news agency IRNA reported. "If the Russians do not deliver the fuel to use in the power plant, then it will prove our stance of seriously following the enrichment process (domestically)," the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholamreza Aqazadeh, told reporters in the south- western port city of Bushehr. The Russian contractor Atomstroiexport is building a nuclear power plant in Bushehr, but had announced earlier this year that there would be a delay in the completion of the plant due to a financial dispute with Tehran. Iran rejects the claim, saying that the payments are up-to-date with its commitments. The Iran-Russia joint project was originally supposed to be completed at the beginning of the millennium but has been delayed several times for various reasons. -- SPA
