Economics
Iran, Dogged by Sanctions, Starts First Nuclear Plant
This article is for subscribers only.
Iran, under United Nations sanctions for its nuclear program, said it ended a 36-year quest to join the club of atomic-powered nations when Russia’s Rosatom Corp. switched on a reactor along the Persian Gulf coast.
The start of the 1,000-megawatt power reactor near the southern city of Bushehr, makes Iran the first country in the Middle East with a nuclear-energy facility, freeing more of its fossil fuels for export. Iran also becomes only the second Muslim state after Pakistan to have nuclear power, with ambitions to build enough plants to generate 20,000 megawatts within 20 years.