Iran vote sign-up starts as nuclear tensions rise

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Candidate registration for Iran's presidential election began on Tuesday against a backdrop of escalating tensions over Tehran's atomic plans and with the candidacy of front-runner Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in doubt.

Raising the stakes ahead of the June 17 vote, a senior official said on Monday Tehran will resume some weapons-related nuclear work within days, a move Washington and the EU have said would see Iran's case sent to the U.N. Security Council.

Iran, which denies U.S. claims it is seeking nuclear arms, said it will resume processing uranium into a gas that can be used to make fuel for either atomic reactors or atom bombs, due to frustration with the slow pace of its talks with the European Union over the long-term future of its nuclear programme.

Diplomats were unsure whether the move, which would reverse a six-month freeze on most of Iran's atomic work, was a bluff.

"It would seem remarkable that they could be sitting in the Security Council at the same time as the elections but they look like they're serious," said one Western diplomat in Tehran.
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