Iran has announced it will install its first domestically produced nuclear fuel rods in the reactor that is at the heart of its continued standoff with Western countries.

Ali Baqeri, deputy head of Iran’s national security council, told reporters that an installation ceremony on February 15 at the Tehran Research Reactor will be attended by President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

The Iranian leader is expected to formally announce advances in the country’s nuclear program, including the construction of new uranium enrichment centrifuges.

Iran says it is enriching uranium for civilian purposes including cancer treatment.

The United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said it believes the Tehran facility is among the Iranian facilities being used to pursue a nuclear weapons program.

The installation, which is taking place days after Ahmadinejad promised a “major announcement” on the country’s nuclear ambitions, comes as Iran is facing increasingly stringent Western sanctions over its atomic program.

Compiled from agency reports

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