Reports: Iran reactor to be switched on in 2009

Plan is to start the reactor near the Iranian city of Bushehr by end of year

Slide show

A perilous path
A history of modern Iran and its love-hate relationship with the United States.

more photos

Iranian President Ahmadinejad

Curry’s extended interview with Ahmadinejad
Sept. 18: Watch TODAY’s Ann Curry’s exclusive interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Protests turn violent in Iran

U.S. accepts Iran's offer to talk

Ahmadinejad sworn in for second term

Iran's day of mourning ends in crackdown

INTERACTIVE

Turmoil in Iran
View key dates in postelection violence

Interactive

Iran's key political players
A look who's who on Iran's political scene

updated 3:02 p.m. ET July 22, 2009

MOSCOW - Russian news agencies quote the country's nuclear agency chief as saying a Russian-built nuclear power reactor in Iran is still set to be switched on this year.

State-run RIA-Novosti and ITAR-Tass quote Sergei Kiriyenko as saying plans remain for a start-up of the reactor near the Iranian city of Bushehr by the end of the year.

Russia is helping Iran build its first nuclear power plant as part of a program Iran says is purely peaceful. The United States and Israel say it is meant to develop atomic weapons.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Officials in Russia and Iran had previously announced plans to switch the reactor on this year. But that was cast in doubt last month when reports quoted the head of the Russian company building the plant as saying there had been problems with financing.