Russia has postponed the completion of Iran’s first nuclear power plant because of technical reasons, The Associated Press news agency reported quoting the head of the Russian company in charge of the project.

“All delays to the launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran are of a technical and management nature,” Sergei Shmatko, head of Russia’s state-run Atomstroiexport, was quoted as saying by the RIA-Novosti news agency.

Russia is building a nuclear power plant in Bushehr, southern Iran, under an US$800 million (A640 million) project.

Last month Russia agreed to ship fuel to Bushehr by March 2007 and open the facility in September, adding to the concerns of the U.S. and others over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

The U.S. and its European allies this week proposed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against Iran for defying demands to halt sensitive uranium enrichment activity.

But in an effort to secure Russian support, the draft resolution exempts some aspect of the Russian work on Bushehr _ despite U.S. demands that the controversial project be halted entirely under the sanctions.

Russia and China have agreed in principle to imposing sanctions but both continue to publicly push for dialogue instead of U.N. punishment, despite the collapse last month of a European Union attempt to entice Iran into talks over an incentive package.

As permanent members of the council, Russia and China hold the power to veto its actions.

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