Iran, Iceland fail as five elected to U.N. council

Iran lost its bid to win a two-year seat on the U.N. Security Council, which has imposed sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, when it was trounced by Japan in a General Assembly election on Friday.

Iceland, an apparent victim of the financial crisis that has ravaged its economy, also failed to get onto the 15-nation council when the assembly, representing almost all the world's states, preferred Turkey and Austria for two European seats.

Mexico and Uganda, running unopposed in their regional groupings, were also elected in the annual assembly vote for five of the 10 so-called non-permanent seats on the powerful Security Council for 2009-10.

As expected, heavyweight Japan defeated Iran for an Asian seat coming vacant on January 1, but the scale of its victory -- a crushing 158-32 votes from the 192-member assembly -- delighted Western countries at loggerheads with Tehran.

U.S. and British envoys were exultant that Iran had gained so few votes. "Its comprehensive defeat, a thrashing of Iran, is a very important signal of the whole membership's concern about Iran's actions," said British Ambassador John Sawers.

U.S. envoy Alejandro Wolff called Iran's showing encouraging. "Hopefully they will understand that this means that there is no support from the international community" for Tehran's disregard of Security Council resolutions, he said.

The Iranian delegation did not speak to reporters after exiting the General Assembly hall.

Western countries strongly oppose Iran's pursuit of uranium enrichment, which they fear is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, something Tehran denies. Many Arab states are also suspicious of Iran.

Japan has served nine previous terms on the council and is a prime contender for a permanent seat should the world's nations manage to agree on a way to expand the body.

Iran had argued that it was due a turn on the council, where it last served in 1956, when the Shah, later ousted in a 1979 Islamic revolution, ruled the country.