The US has acknowledged that Iran's activities at the Bushehr nuclear plant do not cross the boundaries of peaceful nuclear technology.

US State Department spokesman Robert Wood said during a Wednesday press briefing that the trial start-up of the Bushehr nuclear plant in southern Iran is in the realm of peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Wood's comments came after Iran announced that initial tests had begun at the Bushehr power plant and the nuclear facility had entered preliminary phase operation.

Although the US State Department did not criticize Iran's activities at the Bushehr nuclear plant, Wood's remarks indicated that Washington's apparent approval was because fuel arrangements for the nuclear facility were made with Russia.

According to an agreement between Tehran and Moscow, Russia will deliver nuclear fuel for the plant and Iran will return spent nuclear fuel to Russia. Based on that agreement, the first Russian fuel shipments reached Bushehr in January 2008.

"[This shows that Iran] does not need to develop its own nuclear capacity," Wood said, referring to the plant and the fuel arrangement between Tehran and Russia.

"We think what the Russians are doing with regard to the fuel supply and spent fuel arrangements are an appropriate mechanism for Iran to see the benefits of the peaceful use of nuclear energy."

The Bushehr plant, situated near the Persian Gulf, is the country's first nuclear power generation facility.

The nuclear power plant, which was built in a joint project with Moscow, has no military purpose as all of its activities are carried out under the 24-hour surveillance of its Russian fuel suppliers and inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The plant will run on Russian fuel, which is delivered to Iran in containers sealed and inspected by the UN nuclear watchdog.

MJ/MMA