Written question asked by Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative) on Wednesday, 12 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 November 2008. It was answered by David Miliband (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 November 2008 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Iranian engineers who have received training in nuclear sciences in Russia; and what assessment he has made of the Russian Federation's compliance with the requirement in UN Security Council Resolution 1737 on the prevention of specialised teaching or training of Iranian nationals in sensitive nuclear disciplines.

Answer: UN Security Council Resolution 1737 (2006) prohibits the transfer of materials, equipment, goods and technology to Iran if they would contribute to enrichment-related, or reprocessing, or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. But the Resolution provides an exemption for the supply of equipment for light water reactors and for the technical support or training relating to such a reactor. Since passage of the Resolution, we understand that a substantial number of Iranians have been trained in Russia in preparation for working at the Bushehr Light Water Reactor, but we are unable to confirm a precise number.The UN Sanctions Committee established by UNSCR 1737 oversees member states' implementation of the measures adopted. While we too continue to monitor implementation, the Committee's reports have not cited any breaches by the Russian Federation of UN sanctions against Iran.

Secondary information