Iran was considering shutting down the only nuclear power plant in the country due to the economic damage caused by US-imposed sanctions, the Islamic republic said on Monday.
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According to a Bloomberg report, the Iranians say the Bushehr power plant is "facing the risk of shutdown" because US banking restrictions have made it difficult for Iran to transfer money and procure necessary equipment.
Mahmoud Jafari, a deputy at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was quoted by the semi-official Iranian Students' News Agency: "Currency fluctuations and problems related to banking sanctions have complicated efforts to meet the reactor's operational and maintenance costs and make payments to Russian contractors."
The Bushehr plant was developed by Russia and has been operational since 2011. As one of the oldest civilian nuclear power plants in the Middle East, the International Atomic Energy Agency does not consider it a proliferation threat. The brunt of Iran's electricity is produced from natural gas.
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