Russia's nuclear chief says Iran would like more Russian-built nuclear reactors following the launch of its first that began producing electricity in September.

IRAN’S first nuclear power plant has been connected to the national power grid for a test run, state radio says.

Iran’s first nuclear power plant has been connected to the national power grid for a test run, state radio says.

AN Iranian spokesman says the country has received a new shipment of nuclear fuel from Russia for its nuclear power plant.

Iran began loading fuel into its first nuclear power plant today, moving closer to its opening in the face of Western fears over its eventual plans for weapons.

Iran has submitted a proposal to Russia to jointly produce nuclear fuel for its Bushehr nuclear power plant and any future facilities, Iranian media reported today.

Iranian and Russian engineers began loading fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant today.

ISRAEL has only days left to launch a military strike against Iran’s Bushehr nuclear facility and stop Tehran from acquiring a functioning atomic plant, a former US envoy to the UN has said.

RUSSIA will load fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant next week despite US demands to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear energy until the country proves that it’s not pursuing a weapons capacity, officials said yesterday.

Iran will launch its first nuclear power plant next week, Russia’s nuclear agency announced today.

Iran's president has said the country is ready to send its uranium abroad for further enrichment as requested by the United Nations.

UN inspectors got their first look yesterday inside a once-secret uranium enrichment facility that has raised Western suspicions about the extent of Iran’s nuclear programme.

A team of UN inspectors today prepared for their first look inside a formerly secret uranium enrichment facility that has raised Western suspicions about the extent of Iran’s nuclear programme.

IRANIAN and Russian technicians are conducting a test run of Iran’s first nuclear power plant, officials said yesterday, a big step toward launching full operations at the facility, which has long concerned the US and its allies.

Iran today announced it was testing its first nuclear power station, adding to fears over its long-term atomic ambitions.

Iran test-fired more long-range missiles in a second round of exercises meant to show that the country can defend itself against any attack by the US or Israel, Iranian state television reported today.

Iran said today that it will begin operation of the country’s first nuclear power plant in the summer of next year using half its 1,000 megawatt capacity, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Iran’s first nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russia, will not come online before late 2008, Russian news reports said today.

Iran received the first shipment of nuclear fuel from Russia today for its new reactor, suspected by some to be a potential source for atomic weapons.

Russia has made its first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran’s Bushehr plant, which is at the centre of international tensions over Tehran’s nuclear programme, the foreign ministry said today.

Russian officials today dismissed claims from Tehran that Iran’s first nuclear plant being built by Russia could be launched on schedule this year, saying that slow Iranian payments have made it impossible.

Iran today announced plans to build two more nuclear power plants despite international pressures to curb its controversial nuclear programme.

Moscow has expressed its annoyance to Tehran over an Iranian air defence exercise near a Russian-built nuclear plant, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said today.

Russia is pulling out its experts from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build, US and European officials said yesterday.

Iran’s leadership was today furious over Russia’s refusal to ship fuel for its first nuclear power plant, signalling a possible break in a long-time alliance that has helped protect Tehran from tough UN sanctions.

The state-run Russian company building Iran’s first nuclear power plant said the reactor’s launch will be postponed because of Iranian payment delays.

The state-run Russian company building Iran’s first nuclear power plant today said the reactor’s launch will be postponed because of Iranian payment delays.

Iran today said it had earmarked £700m (€1bn) for construction of nuclear power plants amid international pressure to abandon its nuclear programme, state television reported.

Iran says it needs time to review a plan proposed by the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency in which it will hold off on imposing sanctions if Tehran suspends uranium enrichment.

Iran today said it needed time to review a plan that calls for holding off on imposing sanctions if Tehran halts uranium enrichment.

The United States indicated today that it wants tougher sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment than the measures in a UN resolution drafted by Britain, France and Germany.

Russia today said the Iranian nuclear crisis must be solved under the direction of the UN nuclear watchdog agency, and it called on Iran to co-operate more fully with the organisation.

The former Iranian president said today that talk of US contingency planning for a military attack on Iran was overblown because such a move would be too dangerous.

Iran and Russia today agreed in principle to establish a joint uranium enrichment venture, a breakthrough in talks on a US-backed Kremlin proposal aimed at easing concerns that Tehran wants to build nuclear weapons.

Iran’s negotiations with Russia over its plan to enrich Iranian uranium on its soil have been indefinitely postponed, presidential spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said today.

After months of fruitless negotiations, European nations have set the stage for reporting Iran to the powerful UN Security Council by the end of the week because of concerns the Islamic country’s nuclear program is not “exclusively for peaceful purposes”.

IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday mocked international calls for Iran to rein in its nuclear programme after US President George W Bush said the world must prevent it from making a nuclear bomb.

Iran would deliver a “crushing response” to any nation that attacked its nuclear facilities, its defence minister warned today.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today vowed his country would resist Western pressures and complete its nuclear programme, just before a key vote by the UN nuclear watchdog likely to put Iran before the Security Council.

Indonesia’s foreign minister said today that he expects Iran to accept a proposal to use Russian facilities to enrich uranium, citing recent discussions with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.

European foreign ministers accused Iran of “concealment and deception” over its nuclear programme, urging the United Nations Security Council to get involved after more than two years of inconclusive negotiations.

IRAN plans to construct a second nuclear power plant despite international concern over its nuclear programme, state television reported yesterday.

Iran plans to construct two more nuclear power plants despite international concern over its atomic programme, a top official said today.

In an apparent reference to Russia, the US today urged governments to end nuclear projects with Iran in light of a recent finding that Tehran is not complying with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.