Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that Iran's first nuclear power plant located in the southern city of Bushehr will be launched according to the schedule, the English language satellite Press TV reported.

"There will be no delay in launching the Bushehr power plant" and the plant would soon join Iran's national power grid, Mehmanparast was quoted as saying.

Mehmanparast said last week that Iran hoped to put the Bushehr nuclear power plant in operation by the end of August.

The construction of the plant has almost been completed and it is currently in the testing stage, said the spokesman.

Construction of the Bushehr plant began in 1975 by several German companies. However, the work halted when the United States imposed an embargo of hi-tech supplies on Iran after the 1979 revolution. Russia signed a contract with Iran to complete the construction in 1998.

Completion of the plant's construction has been postponed several times due to technical and financial challenges and pressure from the United States.