Iran will also be among the countries to gain domestic nuclear energy in the next decade, Mohammad Saeedi, deputy chief of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, was quoted as saying.

He made the remarks at a seminar held at the Arak Open University attended by the director of the Arak heavy water nuclear facility and some other local officials.

"Iran has been the first country to gain access to this technology step by step by Iranians themselves," Saeedi said.

"In order to achieve comprehensive development and reach its targets, Iran should equip itself with all kinds of modern technologies and this requires national will," he said.

According to Iran's announced nuclear energy strategy, it wants to construct a network of about 20 nuclear power plants with a capacity of 20,000 MW by 2025.

The Bushehr nuclear power plant, located in southwestern Iran, is the country's first nuclear power plant which is being built by a Russian contractor.

But work at the plant has been long delayed since Russia and Iran signed a one-billion-U.S.-dollar contract for the construction of the plant in 1995.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted on March 24 a new resolution with tougher sanctions to pressure Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

Iran has refused to heed the Security Council's demand, insisting that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes only.

The United States and some other Western countries have accusedIran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civilian nuclear programs.