Iran is seeking a seat on the decision-making board of the same UN nuclear agency probing its activities for evidence that Tehran may be interested in making atomic weapons, officials said Thursday. While Iran has sought such a position previously, it had always withdrawn its candidates well before the 151 members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approve members for the agency's 35-nation board. Diplomats and other government officials, however, told the AP just hours before the issue was to be taken up Thursday that Iran's hat remained in the ring. They and an Iranian official who confirmed that Iran remained in the running, asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. A seat for Iran would give it a stronger lobbying platform on its file as well as voting rights on resolutions of the kind that sent Tehran's file to the Security Council. Iran insists it does not seek atomic weapons but has been under IAEA investigation since revelations of secret nuclear activities eight years ago. Iran is under four sets of UN Security Council sanctions for refusing to stop uranium enrichment and other actions that have raised concerns about its ultimate goals. The IAEA board peruses Iran's activities four times a year and set into motion UN Security Council involvement – and ultimately UN sanctions – by referring Tehran to the council for its nuclear defiance four years ago. Eleven seats were to be decided on Thursday, including two regional seats contested by Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Iran. One of the diplomats said Iran had sent letters to many IAEA members asking for support, a reflection of its determination to get a board seat. The board membership agenda item was postponed for later Thursday shortly to allow the three nations to talk about which would withdraw. If there was no agreement, the full IAEA general assembly planned a vote to eliminate one of the contestants. Iran slams Russia over missile deal ban The Iranian defense minister has criticized Russia for banning all sales of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran. Thursday's comments by Gen. Ahmad Vahidi come a day after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a decree on the ban. Russia signed a 2007 contract to sell the sophisticated systems that could boost Iran's ability to defend against air strikes. Israel and the United States have objected to the deal, and no such missiles have been delivered yet.
