Stuxnet virus attack: Russia warns of ‘Iranian Chernobyl'

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Stuxnet virus attack: Russia warns of `Iranian Chernobyl'

Russian nuclear officials have warned of another Chernobyl-style nuclear

disaster at Iran's controversial Bushehr reactor because of the damage caused by

the Stuxnet virus, according to the latest Western intelligence reports.

Russian nuclear scientists are providing technical assistance to Iran's attempts

activate the country's first nuclear power plant at the Gulf port.

But they have raised serious concerns about the extensive damage caused to the

plant's computer systems by the mysterious Stuxnet virus, which was discovered

last year and is widely believed to have been the result of a sophisticated

joint US-Israeli cyber attack.

According to Western intelligence reports, Russian scientists warned the Kremlin

that they could be facing " another Chernobyl " if they were forced to comply with

Iran's tight deadline to activate the complex this summer.

After decades of delays over the plant, which was first commissioned by the Shah

in the 1970s, Iran's leaders are demanding that scientists stick to the schedule

set last year. They argue that any delay would be a blow to Iran's international

prestige.

Bushehr is due to produce its first electricity for Iran's national grid this

summer after Russian technicians started loading the first nuclear rods into the

reactor last October.

Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's foreign minister who also serves as head of the

country's Atomic Energy Organisation, rejected suggestions earlier this month

that the Bushehr opening schedule should be postponed. " All the rumours related

to the Westerners' claims that Stuxnet had caused damage to the nuclear plants

are rejected, " he said.

However, Russian scientists working at the plant have become so concerned by

Iran's apparent disregard for nuclear safety issues that they have lobbied the

Kremlin directly to postpone activation until at least the end of the year, so

that a proper assessment can be made of the damage caused to its computer

operations by Stuxnet.

The Iranian government is bitterly opposed to any further delay, which it would

regard as another blow to national pride on a project that is more than a decade

behind schedule. While Western intelligence officials believe Iran's nuclear

programme is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, Iran insists the project's

goals are peaceful.

The Russian scientists' report to the Kremlin, a copy of which has been seen by

The Daily Telegraph, concludes that, despite " performing simple, basic tests " on

the Bushehr reactor, the Russian team " cannot guarantee safe activation of the

reactor " .

It also accuses the Iranian management team, which is under intense political

pressure to stick to the deadline, of " not exhibiting the professional and moral

responsibility " that is normally required. They accuse the Iranians of having

" disregard for human life " and warn that Russia could find itself blamed for

" another Chernobyl " if it allows Bushehr to go ahead.

Yesterday, the New York Times reported that the Stuxnet virus had been developed

as a joint project by US and Israeli intelligence officials at Israel's

top-secret Dimona project in the Negev desert.

The virus was developed at Dimona over a period of two years before it was

planted into Iran's nuclear programme, an operation now widely regarded as the

world's most successful cyber attack.

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, recently declared that the Stuxnet

virus had set Iran's nuclear programme back by several years.