Iranian nuclear plant 'delayed by a year'

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.

Irina Yesipova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Atomstroixport company, which is building the plant in the southern port of Bushehr, shrugged off the Iranian officials’ claims that it would be ready for launch in September as planned as “sheer nonsense.”