VIENNA (AFP) – The UN atomic watchdog sat down to a meeting of its board of governors on Monday as world powers were poised to vote on new sanctions against Iran over its contested nuclear drive.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano was scheduled give the opening address to the week-long meeting, where Iran was once again expected to top the agenda.

The meeting, which began shortly after 10:30 am (0830 GMT), was also set to discuss Syria and include a wider debate on nuclear programmes in the Middle East.

But it was Iran that was again set to dominate as the UN Security Council prepared to pass another round of punitive actions on the Islamic republic over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear activities which the West believes masks a covert drive to build a bomb.