BEIRUT -- Lebanese minister of administrative development Karim Baqradouni said on Saturday the stands of the IAEA governing council arose from the U.S. pressures on the UN atomic watchdog.

Baqradouni condemned the decision taken by the governing council of the International Atomic Energy Agency in its Friday session on Iran saying the decision was to favor the U.S. interests, IRNA reported.

He said the U.S. Administration is now facing a dilemma in Iraq and hence U.S. President George W. Bush behaves in a way to prepare the grounds for his re-election in the forthcoming presidential polls in the United States.

Asked to comment on the U.S. pressures against Iran, he said Bush is taking advantage of pressurizing Iran and the nuclear issues is a politically motivated one.

He said he had visited Iran last month and is well convinced that Iran's nuclear activities are of purely peaceful nature.

The minister said the Untied States is sparking tension on insignificant issues adding that the IAEA should pressurize Israel which has in exceed of 200 atomic warheads.

He said while Iran is a peace-seeking country the Zionist regime tries to give rise to the tension in the region.

A resolution setting a deadline for Iran to disclose information on its nuclear program was approved without voting in Vienna on Friday.