Russia pulls more staff from Iran nuclear plant after reported strike

MOSCOW: Russia has evacuated more staff from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant after a reported strike on the compound Tuesday night, the head of Russia’s atomic energy agency said Wednesday.

Russia partially constructed the plant and its technicians help operate it.

A projectile landed within the plant’s compound late Tuesday but caused no damage, Iran’s atomic energy organisation said, accusing the United States and Israel of attacking the plant.

“Today, at approximately 7:20 Moscow time (0420 GMT), 163 people left Bushehr for the Iranian-Armenian border,” Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev was quoted as saying by the state RIA news agency.

“Right now, about 300 remain… Some people will stay. I think it will be a few dozen people who will oversee the equipment,” he added in comments to reporters, including AFP.

Rosatom had already withdrawn 150 people working at the plant, amid the threat of US and Israeli airstrikes.