Clinton: Russia's plan to start Iran nuclear plant 'premature'

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday said that Russia's plan to start up the nuclear reactor at an Iranian power station was "premature" without further assurances on Tehran's nuclear program.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking alongside Clinton after talks in Moscow, responded by saying the Bushehr plant was key to maintaining the presence of the UN's nuclear agency in Iran. (Reuters)