Russia surprised over Iran's defence exercise

Moscow, Apr 11: Russia today expressed surprise over Iran's air defence range practice fire near the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

"Iran's air defence forces held range practice near the nuclear power plant under construction in Bushehr, without notifying either the Russian embassy in Tehran or the construction project managers," the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Kamynin told Interfax new agency.

Spokesman for the Russian Agency for Nuclear Power (Rosatom), Sergei Novikov said the military exercises near the construction site of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, without any warning given to Russian experts further raised tensions around the project.

Recent media reports said US may launch an operation codenamed Bite against Iran to deliver air strikes at its nuclear facilities in a bid to prevent the country from allegedly obtaining nuclear weapons.

Bushehr project, being built with Russian assistance under a 1995 contract, was suspended last month over what Russia called delayed payments from Iran since mid-January.

However, on March 26, Moscow said Tehran had resumed financing, but added it still had to cover arrears. The two sides are holding negotiations over the issue this week in Tehran.

UNI