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(Xinhua) -- Iran on Monday requested Uganda to lobby the United Nations Security Council not to sanction the Middle East country over its nuclear enrichment program, a statement issued here has said.

A State House statement said that an Iranian delegation led by Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, met Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he is attending the 14th African Union summit.

The delegation told Museveni that the impending sanctions against Teheran would be disastrous to the country's economy.

"The Iranian delegation expressed concern over the pending sanctions, saying that they would adversely affect the Iranian economy," the statement said in part.

The Iranian request comes just after two days Museveni told an Organization of Islamic Conference meeting here that countries should be free to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

He told the over 300 delegates from 30 Islamic countries that Uganda had already communicated its position to the Security Council.