Iran's only nuclear power plant undergoes emergency shutdown

Iran's only nuclear power plant was put under emergency shutdown this past weekend without explanation, the nation's state media reported.

An official from state electric company Tavanir said Sunday the plant, in the southern Iran city of Bushehr, was shut down Saturday and that the closure could last for "three to four days," according to the Associated Press.

The official did not elaborate on why the plant was shuttered but acknowledged power outages could result.

This is the first time the plant has reported an emergency shutdown since it was opened in 2011. The plant was opened with help from Russia and is required to send spent fuel rods from the reactor back to Russia as part of a nuclear nonproliferation agreement.

In March, Iranian nuclear official Mahmoud Jafari said the plant could stop working since Iran could not obtain the parts and equipment needed to operate it – the result of banking sanctions imposed by the United States in 2018.