WANA (Sep 02) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek to discuss the status of Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, according to Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

 

Rosatom, which operates the plant in collaboration with Iranian specialists and is currently constructing two additional units at the site, had previously evacuated hundreds of Russian personnel following military actions initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28.

 

Likhachev noted that while a limited number of technical experts have returned in recent weeks—bringing the current Russian personnel count on-site to 25—a full return of Rosatom specialists remains contingent on a finalized ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States.

 

The Rosatom chief stated that if conditions remained favorable, the corporation intended to increase its project staff at the site to 100 personnel by the autumn.Despite reports of strikes near the Bushehr plant compound during the conflict, official sources confirm that no radioactive contamination occurred.

 

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Likhachev re-emphasized that the situation at the facility remained calm and under control following the leaders’ discussions.

 

Likhachev stated that the situation at the plant was calm, adding that President Vladimir Putin and the Iranian President had reviewed the matter in detail during their bilateral meeting on Tuesday.

 

He added that Rosatom specialists were preparing to participate in planned maintenance for Unit 1 of the Bushehr plant, scheduled for mid-September. Likhachev also noted that the maintenance work involved replacing a portion of the fuel assemblies, confirming that the necessary nuclear fuel for the refueling cycle had already been delivered to the site.