State television reported on Wednesday that Iran has made advances in its nuclear programme, building new uranium enrichment centrifuges and producing its own nuclear reactor fuel plates.

The announcement, to be confirmed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later Wednesday, was likely to further unsettle the United States and allies who believe Iran is also forging ahead with atomic weapon development.

Iran has developed "4th-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, state television reported.

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 per cent uranium enrichment at its Natanz facility, beyond enrichment activities already underway there.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for exclusively peaceful, civilian purposes.

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