BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran and Russia have announced that an agreement on return of spent nuclear fuel from Iran to Russia has come to the final stage, paving the way for the operation of the plant.

    The announcement was made at a joint press conference held in Tehran by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, who arrived here earlier in the day for a two-day visit.

    Bushehr plant, Iran's first nuclear power plant, is being built with Russia's help in a Persian Gulf island in the southern province of Bushehr.

    The construction of the plant, formerly aided by other western countries such as Germany and Spain, has been delayed for several times since its start in 1974 due to volatile international and domestic situations.

    In order to prevent Iran from making nuclear weapons with spent fuel, Russia conditions delivery of nuclear fuel to Iran on an agreement signed between the two sides assuring all spent fuel would be returned to Russia.

    The repeated failures in reaching the agreement have delayed the operation of the Bushehr nuclear plant.

    (Text: CRIENGLISH.com; Photo: AFP)