Ahmad Fayyazbakhsh

TEHRAN, Jan. 30--A senior official rejected recent claims that the Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant--the first Iranian-made light-water 360-megawatt plant--is a replica of Chinese nuclear plants.
Talking to reporters in Tehran on Wednesday, Ahmad Fayyazbakhsh, deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said the nuclear power plant will become operational in 2016 in the southwestern Iranian town of Darkhovin, IRNA reported.
“All stages of the plant’s construction will be overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency,“ he said.
He also said the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant would be commissioned in late October.
The official added that the plant would start generating electricity shortly after its inauguration.
He noted that the plant--Iran’s first indigenous nuclear plant--will cost about $1.2 billion.
Fayyazbakhsh stated that the construction of Bushehr plant is 93.67 percent complete, noting that of the total of 50,000 tons of equipment, 48,100 tons have already been transferred to the plant.
On Monday, Russia completed fuel deliveries for the plant and said it would ’ideally’ go on line this year.
Fayyazbakhsh, who is also the managing director of Nuclear Power Production and Development Company of Iran, an affiliate of the AEOI, added that the remaining 1,900 tons of equipment would be transferred to the plant in the next several months.

TEHRAN, Jan. 30--Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has sent a message to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Bahrain’s Ambassador to Iran Rashid bin Al-Dosari submitted the message to Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here on Wednesday, IRNA reported.
“Iran attaches great importance to promotion of ties with Bahrain,“ Mottaki told the Bahraini diplomat.
He called for following up the agreements already signed between the two countries by their officials.
Al-Dosari appreciated Tehran’s efforts to help promote regional peace and stability. “Manama supported Tehran’s policy of promoting relations with the regional states,“ he said. Dosari added that Bahrain is also determined to boost ties with Tehran.

A view of the roundtable on Gaza developments and international law in Tehran on Tuesday. (Photo by Mehdi Khoshnevis)

TEHRAN, Jan. 30--A senior Foreign Ministry official said the US efforts to set up an Israeli government beside the Palestinian state are doomed to fail.
Manouchehr Mohammadi, deputy foreign minister for education and research, said in a roundtable on Gaza developments and international law on Tuesday that the issue of establishing a Zionist regime in the Middle East has inflicted great damage on the region.
“The issue of Palestine is a major problem of Muslim community in the Middle East and even the world of politics,“ he said.
Mohammadi noted that the Israeli regime has exerted heavy pressure on the Palestinians, adding that the Zionist regime should be blamed for the bloodshed in the past decades.
“The illegitimate regime of Israel was set up 60 years ago by the Zionists. During the past six decades, the regime has inflicted huge financial and human losses on the whole region,“ he said.
The deputy minister also said former leaders of the Israeli regime thought they could overcome the resistance movement of Palestinians and expected them to accept the occupation of Zionists.
“However, we see that the oppressed people of Palestine have been defending their birthrights in the past 60 years with greater preparedness and valor,“ he said.
Mohammadi added that the international community should either witness the continuation of murder and bloodshed or hold a referendum in the Palestinian land.
Also speaking in the roundtable, Salah Zawawi, Palestine’s ambassador in Tehran, said the recent developments in Gaza are a “horrible tragedy“ for the Palestinians. “The big powers are supporting Israelis to secure the interests of Zionists,“ he said.
Zawawi further said the Islamic Republic is supporting all Palestinians and is seeking the independence of Beit-ul-Moqaddas.