Speaking to the reporters in Arak on the sidelines of the tour to the plant, Salehi said Arak reactor is to meet the country's demands for radio isotopes and possible extra output will be exported abroad, according to IRNA.

He said once again that Iran renounces the production and the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), according to the report.

On Jan. 4, the media reported that Iran had invited ambassadors of Russia, China, the European Union and its allies among the Arab and the developing world to visit its nuclear sites ahead of the Istanbul talks slated for late January on Iran's nuclear issues between world major powers and Tehran.

The EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, however, turned down Tehran's invitation, saying that it was IAEA's function to inspect the Iranian nuclear facilities. Several other invited countries also refused to visit nuclear sites of Iran.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on 24 shipping companies affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and two entities that are subordinates of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO).

"Today's actions build on Treasury's efforts to expose the financial and corporate underpinnings of IRISL and AIO, two entities that face international sanctions for their involvement in Iran's missile programs," the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

This is the latest round of financial sanctions taken by the United States to isolate Iran from the international financial system.

According to earlier reports, the United States and the European Union prepared to impose a new round of sanctions against Iran this year over Tehran's refusal to halt its controversial nuclear program.

The West has long accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under civilian disguise, although Tehran has always denied such charges.

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