MOSCOW — Russia signaled sharp dissatisfaction Monday with Iran's defiant stance on nuclear issues, saying the start-up of a Russian-built nuclear reactor will be delayed and warning that Moscow will not join Tehran "in anti-American games."
Atomstroyexport, the state-run company building Iran's first nuclear power plant, said the supply of fuel to the nearly completed Bushehr facility would not begin this month as planned because of unresolved disputes over financing. The scheduled September launch of the reactor will also be delayed, it said.
Meanwhile, an official described as "an insider" told the three main Russian news agencies that Tehran had abused its ties with Moscow on the nuclear issue.
Iran's defiance of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, has caused Russia to suffer "losses in relation to its foreign policy and image, but they insist on their line," the Itar-Tass agency quoted the unnamed official as saying.
"Iran with a nuclear bomb or a potential for its creation is impermissible for us," the official said. "We will not play with them in anti-American games.... The Iranians are abusing our constructive attitude and have done nothing to help us convince our colleagues of Tehran's consistency."
Andrei Kortunov, president of the New Eurasia Foundation, a Moscow think tank, said the statement clearly was "an organized leak" designed to be "an unofficial official reprimand" to Iran.
"It is a serious public warning to Iran's leadership," Kortunov said. "This is a serious sign that Iran may eventually find itself in international isolation." The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. -- have been considering a resolution aimed at tightening sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop its uranium enrichment program. Tehran says the program is intended only to make fuel for civilian energy production; Washington charges that the effort is aimed at producing nuclear weapons.
Moscow has sought to continue working with Iran on the $1-billion Bushehr plant while urging it to cooperate with the IAEA to reassure the world that its nuclear program is peaceful.
But in recent weeks, negotiations over payment for Russia's work have turned acrimonious. Talks in Moscow last week ended without agreement. Further talks were scheduled for this week in Tehran.
