Azerbaijan stops Bushehr delivery at border

[Itar-Tass, RIA Novosti, 22 April] A shipment of equipment for the Bushehr nuclear power plant, on route from Russia to Iran, has been seized by Azerbaijani authorities at the Azerbaijan-Iran border and held for 25 days. Azerbaijan said that it has requested more information about the shipment for fear of violating United Nations sanctions imposed because of suspicions that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Khazar Ibragim, a spokesman for the Azerbaijani foreign ministry, said: "Considering the sensitivity of the situation, we need to know all the details in order to know whether the shipment falls under UN sanctions." Russia's AtomStroyExport (ASE), which is constructing the Bushehr plant, confirmed that one or two trucks carrying the equipment were stopped a few weeks ago at the border town of Astara. A representative of ASE said, "We have been prepared to provide explanations on the cargo for the past 25 days since the freight was stopped on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border, but Azerbaijan has not made any official inquiries." According to Irina Yesipova, a spokeswoman for ASE, the shipment contained "heat-isolating equipment". She added, "This situation is unlikely to seriously affect the commissioning schedule, although a slight risk still persists."