BUSHEHR, Iran – As we were bused from the airport in the southwestern coastal city of Bushehr toward Iran’s nuclear power plant, the most noticeable feature was the large number of anti-aircraft guns dotted across the landscape to protect the facility from attack. 

It was a rare occasion – after years of delays, Iranian and Russian engineers carried out a series of critical tests at Iran’s first nuclear power plant Wednesday. The Iranian authorities offered a group of journalists a guided tour of the facility to showcase the event.  

VIDEO: Iran showcases its nuclear plant to reporter

The facility – which Iran says will be used to generate electricity – was built by the Russians at a cost of about a billion dollars.

The tests on Wednesday were essentially a dry run, without enriched uranium in the rods, just lead, before full-scale operations are due to begin in the coming months.

“We are very proud. Our power plant is on its way to being ready, despite all the pressure from the West not wanting us to advance,” said Mohsen Shirzai, an engineer at the plant who was giving us a guided tour.

The tour itself was sanitized and carefully stage managed, but that was not the point.

The Iranians wanted to send a clear message to the international community: They have made a massive leap forward in their plans to develop nuclear technology, their nuclear plant is in its final stages and in a matter of months Iran will be a nuclear energy-powered country, despite efforts by American, Israel and Europe to curb the program.

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As Mexico’s drug violence spills into the U.S. and officials warn tourists of the danger, Mexican officials say more than 90 percent of all drug trafficking weapons are obtained from dealers and gun shows in the U.S. NBC News’ Mark Potter reports.

VIDEO: Mexican drug runners powered by U.S. guns
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Iraq’s restored National Museum formally reopened on Monday, six years after looters carried away priceless antiquities and treasures in the chaos following the U.S.-led invasion. NBC News’ Sarah Ford reports on what was lost and found.
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Improved security is ushering in a new sense of openness in Iraq. As NBC News’ Richard Engel reports, the nation’s women are determined to shake off the repression that came with years of violence.

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