Iran gets third nuclear fuel batch from Russia: IRNA

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has received a third shipment of nuclear fuel from Russia for use at its Bushehr nuclear power station, the state news agency IRNA said on Friday.

Russia delivered the first batch of about 80 tonnes of uranium fuel rods to Iran on December 17 as part of international efforts to persuade Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment program. The second shipment took place on December 28.

Iran says it will continue enriching uranium despite Moscow's nuclear fuel supplies for the $1 billion Bushehr plant, which is being built by Russia. Russian nuclear fuel deliveries to the plant are to continue into February 2008.

"The third shipment was delivered to Bushehr nuclear power plant," IRNA quoted a statement issued by Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation. "Five other shipments will take place as scheduled."

The United States and other Western powers say they believe Iran's uranium enrichment and other nuclear activities are aimed at building nuclear weapons. Iran says it needs nuclear fuel purely to produce energy.

Bushehr has for years caused friction between Russia and Western powers pressing for restrictions on economic cooperation with Iran. Russia says the Bushehr project is being built under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.

Tehran wants to build 19 new 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plants in the Islamic Republic to meet the country's growing electricity demand.

Foreign ministers from major powers are expected to meet in Berlin next week to discuss a possible third U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution against Iran for its refusal to halt enrichment.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

(parisa.hafezi@reuters.com; +98 21 8820 8870l; Reuters Messaging: parisa.hafezi.reuters.com@reuters.net))