国际英语新闻：Iran unlikely to stop nuclear fuel enrichment

TEHRAN, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran said on Sunday it will not stop its nuclear fuel enrichment activities although Russia would provide it with the nuclear fuel needed to run its Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Head of Iran's Majlis (Parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said Sunday that Iran will continue the uranium enrichment process inevitably because the country needs it for its future power plants, official IRNA news agency reported.

Asked by reporters whether Iran will continue the enrichment process after fuel is injected into Bushehr plant, Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that fuel injection and uranium enrichment are two different issues, according to the report.

The Russian Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) said Friday that the launch of the Bushehr plant in Iran has been set for Aug. 21.

Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi on Friday confirmed next week's fuel injection to his country's first nuclear power plant.

"We are getting ready to transfer fuel of Bushehr power plant to the pool located near the heart of the reactor next week," Salehi was quoted as saying by IRNA.

Also on Friday, Russia announced that accordingly it will begin loading fuel rods into Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr next week.