Rosatom evacuates 150 staff from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant overnight

MOSCOW

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has evacuated another 150 specialists from the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, the company’s head Alexey Likhachev said Wednesday.

In an interview with the corporate newspaper Strana Rosatom, Likhachev said the second stage of the evacuation was completed overnight between March 10 and 11.

“The nuclear specialists crossed the border with Armenia and are now heading home,” he said.

Likhachev thanked the Russian Foreign Ministry, security forces, and the leadership of both Iran and Armenia for facilitating the operation.

He said about 450 Russian personnel remain at the plant for now.

According to Likhachev, those specialists cannot leave at this stage for operational reasons, including the need to maintain essential equipment at the facility.