Iran has made advances in its nuclear programme, building new uranium enrichment centrifuges and producing its own nuclear reactor fuel plates, state television says.
Iran has developed "fourth generation centrifuges" made of carbon fibre that are "speedier, produce less waste and occupy less space" as they spin at supersonic speeds to purify uranium, according to Wednesday's announcement.
Iran also created its own 20 per cent fuel plates for a research reactor in Tehran whose stock of fuel sourced from Argentina in the 1990s is running low, the report said.
State television also said that Iran had made progress in 20 percent uranium enrichment at its Natanz facility, beyond enrichment activities already under way there.
The claimed breakthrough, which is expected to be confirmed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later on Wednesday, is likely to further unsettle the US and allies who believe Iran is attempting to acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is for exclusively peaceful, civilian purposes.
Unprecedentedly tough US and EU economic sanctions have been imposed on Iran in recent weeks and months in an attempt to push it to halt its nuclear programme.
In response, Tehran has threatened to retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the main Gulf oil shipping lane.
The UN nuclear watchdog expressed strong suspicions in November that Iran's programme had a military component. It is to send a high-level delegation back to Iran next week to discuss concerns, following inconclusive talks in Tehran
late last month.
Aljazeera
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