Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — The Gulf Cooperation Council has sought a plan to
counter the threat of a leak from Iran’s nuclear energy reactor.

The six GCC states convened for an emergency session on April 14 to
examine options to protect against a massive radiation leak from Iran’s
Bushehr reactor. On April 9, at least 37 people were killed in an earthquake
that measured up to 6.5 on the Richter Scale that shook Bushehr, a 1,000
megawatt electricity generating facility.

“The earthquake that the Iranian city of Bushehr was subject to has
raised a great deal of concern among GCC countries and the international
community of a possible damage to the Bushehr nuclear reactor that could
causing a radioactive leak, God forbid,” GCC secretary-general Abdu Latif Al
Zayani said.

This marked one of the heaviest earthquakes near Bushehr since its
completion in 2012. Arab and Western officials have long warned that the
reactor, built by Russia’s state-owned Atomstroyexport, could be destroyed
by an earthquake, with nuclear fallout reaching much of the Gulf region.

Officials said the GCC determined that a massive earthquake would spread
radiation throughout the Gulf. They said members such as Bahrain and Kuwait
would be the most vulnerable to a leak from Bushehr.

“The GCC countries have previously warned against the danger of the
nuclear reactor of Bushehr and the possible nuclear leak and its harmful
effect on the environment in the Gulf,” Al Zayani said.

Al Zayani called on GCC members to draft a plan to counter any Iranian
reactor leak. He said the GCC has appealed to Teheran to join the Convention
on Nuclear Safety.

  Abdu Latif Al Zayani, Atomstroyexport, Bahrain, Bushehr reactor, Gulf Cooperation Council, Gulf states convene post-quake emergency conference on radiation threat from Iran reactor