MOSCOW, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, on Tuesday condemned a strike near Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), warning of risks to nuclear safety.
Likhachev told RIA Novosti that the attack, carried out in proximity to the plant's operational power unit, was the first of its kind since the start of U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran.
Likhachev said the strike took place at 6:11 p.m. Moscow time (1511 GMT) on Tuesday. He said that Russia condemns the attack, calling on all parties to de-escalate tensions around the facility.
"Firing on operating nuclear energy facilities is a flagrant disregard for the key rules and principles of international security," Likhachev added.
Likhachev said that Rosatom has begun preparations for the third stage of evacuating Russian employees from the Bushehr NPP. Currently, 480 Rosatom employees remain at the station.
In a separate statement, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said the strike caused no material damage or casualties, but described it as a violation of international legal norms.
On Sunday, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned in an interview with the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant about extreme risks to the Bushehr NPP, calling the situation around it his main concern amid the war in the Middle East. ■
