Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev Says Bushehr Nuclear Plant Remains Russia’s Top Priority

Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said Russia has not removed the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant from its priorities and that work continues at its metallurgical and engineering facilities on equipment for new units.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Russia–ASEAN summit in Kazan on Wednesday, Likhachev said Rosatom plans a phased return of Russian technical specialists to Bushehr as security conditions improve.

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Likhachev also stressed that resolving issues related to Iran’s nuclear program should be handled through diplomacy and welcomed ongoing international efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive settlement.

Tehran Times reported that the Bushehr plant, located on Iran’s southern coast, was among the sites targeted during recent US and Israeli military attacks against Iran, while Iranian authorities said reactor containment structures and key nuclear installations remained intact and sustained no significant damage.

Likhachev told reporters that Rosatom supports international oversight, including monitoring by the IAEA, but argued that the IAEA must assume responsibility and act in the interests of all parties involved.

In Kazan, WANA News Agency quoted Likhachev saying, “provided that the IAEA assumes a specific responsibility and acts in the interests of all parties involved in the conflict.”

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WANA also reported that Rosatom said it has not paused production, quoting Likhachev: “We have not stopped the operations of our engineering units that manufacture the necessary equipment for the new units of the Bushehr plant, and we will continue our cooperation and activities,” as he outlined a phased return tied to reduced strike risk.

The same WANA account said the Bushehr plant was targeted multiple times during recent military strikes by the United States and the Israeli regime, while the facility’s reactor did not sustain damage.

Separately from Bushehr, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that senior US officials disclosed details of a framework deal with Iran to be officially signed in Switzerland on June 19.

The memorandum of understanding, as read out on a June 17 background call, envisages ending the fighting on all fronts, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, and ending the US naval blockade on Iran, with a final settlement due in 60 days.

RFE/RL said that upon signing, the two sides commit to agreeing to limits to Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of US sanctions on the Islamic republic, while one senior US official described it as allowing them to “open the Strait of Hormuz immediately” and committing the Iranians to “destroying the nuclear stockpile.”

RFE/RL also reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on June 17 that “So far, our plans for the Geneva meeting have not changed,” and that one idea under review was for the memorandum to be signed by the presidents of the two countries.