Hot and Cold Fusion

Iranian leaders must be scratching their heads at what on earth their ally Russia is up to.

On one hand, the Kremlin is in Iran's corner in opposing the "excessive" sanctions the UN security council is about to discuss, including a ban on arms sales to Tehran and the freezing of the assets of 28 individuals and organisations involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programmes.

These measures would come on top of limited sanctions imposed in December - penalties that were less harsh than the US, Britain and France had wanted because of opposition from Russia and China.

Yet Iran is irritated at Russia's recent decision to suspend work on the Bushehr nuclear reactor plant, in southern Iran, because of alleged delays in payments. Consequently, Russia has indefinitely postponed the reactor's launch, originally set for September.

Iran has denied falling behind in payments and has accused Russia of caving in to US pressure. Iranian state television yesterday described Russia as an "unreliable partner", adding: "It is clear that Russia has stopped construction of this plant under pressure and for political reasons."

The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has denied reports that Moscow has told Iran it would withhold nuclear fuel for the Russian-built nuclear plant unless Tehran complies with UN demands.

"There is no link whatsoever between the UN resolution ... and the implementation of the Bushehr project," Mr Lavrov today told representatives in the lower parliament house. Notwithstanding such denials, Iran must feel that the world is ganging up against it.

The US and its western allies may be in the dark about what exactly Russia is up to. One line of reasoning, contained in a recent New York Times article, is that the Russian atomic energy agency, Rosatom, is eager to burnish its credibility in the global nuclear energy market and sees its association with Iran as a liability.

Whatever the reasons for the rift between Tehran and Moscow, it will not make life easier for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, already under considerable pressure because of Iran's weak economy. With Iran feeling that Russia is casting its lot in with the US, Tehran's determination to pursue uranium enrichment has become that much harder.