ST. PETERSBURG, June 20. /TASS/. Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said Israel should have a vested interest in keeping Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant safe.
The plant is not that far from Israel, and any nuclear explosion there could send radiation across borders, he said.
"Keeping Bushehr intact is first of all in the interest of the Israeli people among other things," he said in an interview with Rossiya-24 television on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"Any nuclear explosion would be relatively close to their own borders, and radiation knows no borders. No one can predict now in what direction the prevailing winds will blow," Likhachev said.
According to the executive, Russia is determined to make steps to settle the situation around the Iran-Israel conflict and Iran's nuclear program through diplomacy and hopes for de-escalation. Likhachev said Rosatom stands ready to help with the effort, and mentioned that the company had a technological role under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Situation around Iran’s nuclear program
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany signed the JCPOA with Iran in 2015 to resolve a crisis over its nuclear program. The agreement marked the end of a crisis that began in 2004 when Western countries accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons and imposed sanctions.
Overnight into June 13, Israel started Operation Rising Lion against the Iranian nuclear program. Less than a day later, Iran carried out a retaliatory attack. Over the following days, Israel and Iran traded blows again. Both sides reported fatalities and other casualties in the attacks, acknowledged that some targets on their territory were hit, but said the damage was limited. Mutual strikes are ongoing. Russia condemned Israel's actions and expressed readiness to become a mediator.