Iranian scientists have cloned a goat and plan future experiments they hope will lead to a treatment for stroke patients.

The female goat, named Hana, was born early on Wednesday in the city of Isfahan in central Iran.

"With the birth of Hana, Iran is among five countries in the world cloning a baby goat," said Isfahani, an embryologist.  Mohammed Hossein Nasr e-Isfahani, head of the Royan Research Institute, said.

He said his institute's main aim in cloning the goat is to produce medicine to be used to treat people who have had strokes.

In 2006 Iran became the first country in the Middle East to announce it had cloned a sheep.

The effort is part of Iran's quest to become a regional powerhouse in advanced science and technology by 2025. In particular, Iran is striving for achievements in medicine and in aerospace and nuclear technology.

Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reports from Tehran.