Iran warned Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei on Sunday not to let the policies of the UN atomic watchdog be steered by superpowers that want Tehran hauled before the UN Security Council. Iran was slow to react to the awarding of this year's peace prize to ElBaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which he heads.
The IAEA has been investigating US charges that Tehran is seeking nuclear arms.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi, who declined to comment when ElBaradei won the award on Friday, offered guarded praise in Iran's first official response.
"We congratulate Mr ElBaradei ... but he should try not to let the IAEA fall into the hands of the great powers," he told a news conference.
The IAEA has been investigating Iran's nuclear programme for almost three years and last month its 35-member board of governors passed a resolution which could see Tehran's case referred to the UN Security Council for sanctions.
The approved resolution was drafted by countries from the European Union. Iran often accuses rich western nations of flexing political and commercial muscle to put pressure on IAEA board members. Only Venezuela voted for Iran. Tehran says its nuclear programme is aimed solely at the peaceful generation of electricity and insists it must be able to produce its own nuclear fuel.