With the approaching vote at the U.N. Security Council on a set of new sanctions against Iran, Russia seems to be finally relenting in its unilateral support of Tehran' nuclear ambitions. According to Tuesday's announcement by the chief of the Russian Federal Atomic Agency (RosAtom) Sergei Kiriyenko, Russia is temporarily suspending the construction of the Bushehr nuclear reactor, while the timeline for completing the facility (originally planned by September 2007) is being pushed back by two months. He added, however, that "the Russian side has not changed its obligations in regard to deliveries of nuclear fuel, which will still be supplied six months prior to the launch of the [nuclear power] station." Moscow's warning appears concrete: Regions.ru has reported that Russian specialists have begun leaving Iran. But the essence of the disagreement between the sides seems to hinge on financial--rather than political--incentives. Last December, Kiriyenko negotiated a deal in Tehran whereby Iran would pre-pay $25 million a month for the construction effort, while Russia guaranteed delivery of 70 tons of nuclear fuel by this March. But Moscow claims that Tehran reneged on the deal only a month later. As noted by Rosbalt, on March 11, a Russian delegation from "Atomstroiexport"--the company charged with the construction of the Bushehr facility-- headed to Iran to "conduct talks due to suspension of payments." Izvestiya also points out that Moscow holds all of the cards in the negotiations--since Russia took over the project in 1995, 90 percent of the equipment for the power station is Russian-made. While Iranian officials have vehemently denied responsibility, Russian policymakers are keen to take this opportunity to make a statement to the West. Currently on a visit in Moscow, U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell has already praised Russia's actions as "consistent with our common interests and common concerns." In an interview with Vesti, Mikhail Margelov, the head of the foreign policy committee of the Federation Council (Russia's upper house), likewise reiterated that "Russia plays only by the accepted rules of the game in the nuclear sphere--the rules set by IAEA and the U.N. Security Council. No other rules, no double standards, can exist for Russia in this sphere." Margelov went even further in an interview with Strana.ru, "Iran's leaders…treat any negotiations on nuclear issues as a matter of national prestige--a concept they often fail to comprehend adequately."