TEHRAN, Nov 16: Iran said on Friday that Russia has informed the UN watchdog that it is poised to ready for delivery the first consignment of fuel for the nuclear power plant under construction at Bushehr on Iran’s Gulf coast.

“Russia has officially announced to the (International Atomic Energy) agency that it is ready to seal, under inspection, the first fuel for the Bushehr nuclear power plant on November 26,” the official IRNA news agency quoted the deputy head of Iran’s atomic energy organisation, Mohammad Saeedi, as saying.

“Bushehr fuel to be sent to Iran is in the location in Russia where it is being produced,” Saeedi quoted the Russian announcement as saying.

The plant, which is being built by Russian engineers, is a cornerstone of Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.

Delivery of the reactor fuel would normally be the final stage in activating the plant.

—AFP