Russia evacuates 175 more nuclear plant workers from Iran as war continues

Russia said Tuesday that 175 more employees who were evacuated from an Iranian nuclear plant have left for Moscow. The staff from the Bushehr plant crossed into Armenia via the Nurduz-Agarak border crossing and left on a special flight on Monday, the Russian Embassy in Armenia said. A total of 509 Russian citizens have returned through Armenia since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, the embassy said.

Russian gratitude

Moscow expressed its "deep gratitude" to Armenia for the safe evacuation of state-run Rosatom employees, the statement added. On Sunday, Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev said most Russians working at the Bushehr had been successfully evacuated and that another wave of evacuation is planned for next week.

Bushehr under threat

Last month, Russia began evacuating its personnel from the plant due to escalating regional tensions. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization previously announced that a missile hit the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant site during US-Israeli strikes, though there was no technical damage or casualties. The plant is Iran's only operational nuclear power facility.

Conflict context

The US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,400 people according to Iranian authorities, including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. Iran has also restricted movement through the Strait of Hormuz, with Trump threatening to target bridges and power plants if no deal is reached by Tuesday evening.