Iran will have manufactured enough fuel to run its research reactor in a year, the country's nuclear chief said on Tuesday.

"So far we have produced 25 kg of 20%-enriched uranium," Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying.

He did not say how much fuel was needed for the reactor, but said Iran would continue its enrichment activity.

"Iran keeps enriching uranium to 20% to provide fuel for the Tehran research reactor that is used for medical purposes," Salehi said.

He said Iran could build another reactor "to produce radiopharmaceuticals to cure cancer patients."

Last Thursday, Salehi said Iran had proposed to Russia establishment of a nuclear consortium to supply fuel to the Bushehr plant and other nuclear power plants that will be set up in the future.

Fuel was loaded into the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on August 21, but Iran says it will continue uranium enrichment since it cannot depend on foreign sources forever to get the required fuel.

Western powers suspect Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons under the guise of its nuclear program, which Tehran says is aimed at the peaceful generation of civilian energy.

On June 9, the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing a fourth set of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti)