(CNSNews.com) – Iran was reprimanded last week by the United Nations atomic agency for its nuclear activities, and criticized last month by a General Assembly committee for post-election human rights abuses, but the Islamic republic is far from isolated at the world body.

On the contrary, Iran holds a number of leadership positions at the U.N. -- and has just taken on additional ones.

On Wednesday, a Vienna-based U.N. body, the 53-member Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), elected Iran as chairman of its next year-long session. The 63-year-old CND is described as the U.N.’s “central policy-making body in drug-related issues”...