Russians not leaving Iran

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MOSCOW, March 28 (UPI) -- Russia's Foreign Minsitry says Russians are not being evacuated from Iran amid the row over the Bushehr nuclear plant.

Russian state-owned firm Atomstroyexport is building the reactor but had temporarily stopped this month after it accused Iran of lagging on the payment schedule. Tehran said Russia politicized the reactor as part of the international uproar over its refusal to stop enriching uranium.

"Unfortunately, some mass media sources have been circulating unsubstantiated reports about the alleged evacuation of Russians from Iran, particularly of specialists working on the Bushehr (nuclear power plant) construction," said ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin.

Atomstroyexport said Iran began making payments on the $1 billion project, though not at agreed upon levels, RIA Novosti reports.

The reactor, Iran's first, is not suspected of having ties to the alleged weapons program. Iran says it is enriching uranium to fuel the nuclear plants only.