UNITED NATIONS - Japan handily defeated Iran for a non-permanent seat on the U.N. security council and Austria and Turkey edged out Iceland in secret ballot voting Friday.
Iran, which is under U.N. sanctions for its nuclear program - received only 32 votes from the U.N. members, losing the Asian seat to Japan, which received 158 votes.
Austria and Turkey beat Iceland in the battle for two non-permanent European seats on the 15-member council in voting at a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.
General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann said after the balloting that Austria received 133 votes, Turkey 151 votes, Japan 158 votes, Uganda 181 votes and Mexico 185.
Iceland, a country grappling with a financial crisis, received only 87 votes.
Brockmann then announced the countries elected to the council as diplomats from the 192 U.N. member states burst into applause.
Mexico was assured a Latin American seat in the election because it ran unopposed, as did Uganda for an African seat.
Candidates are required to get a two-thirds majority from members to win a seat.
The five new non-permanent members of the council will serve two-year terms.
Ten of the council's 15 seats are filled by the regional groups for two-year stretches. The other five are occupied by its veto-wielding permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
The five countries elected to the council will take their seats in January, replacing Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa.
The five countries elected last year - Libya, Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica and Croatia - will remain on the council until Jan. 1, 2010.