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Cheney leaves open the possibility of a military attack on Iran

P. S. Suryanarayana

We are prepared for all situations, says Tehran

DEFYING THE U.S.: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki (right) speaks at a joint press conference with his Bahraini counterpart Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa in Tehran on Saturday. — PHOTO: AFP

SINGAPORE: United States Vice-President Dick Cheney on Saturday said "all options are still on the table" to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons.

Speaking at a press conference in Sydney after talks with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Mr. Cheney said U.S. President George W. Bush had "made the point" on these lines.

Without ruling out a military strike against Iran, Mr. Cheney said a peaceful resolution of the matter "is still our preference." He maintained, however, that the U.S. "believes it would be a serious mistake if a nation such as Iran were to become a nuclear power."

"Aggressive nation"

Noting that the Iranians "appear to be pursuing the development of nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment," he said the U.S. saw Iran as "a nation that has been fairly aggressive" in West Asia. Tehran had also "made some fairly inflammatory statements" under President Ahmadinejad, Mr. Cheney said.

At the same time, the U.S. had continued to "work with the European community and through the United Nations to put in place a set of policies to persuade the Iranians to give up their aspirations" in the nuclear domain.

Mr. Howard described as "a nightmare scenario" if Iran were to "benefit enormously" as a direct result of "a precipitate [U.S.-led] coalition withdrawal" from Iraq. Australia is part of that coalition. Asked whether Australia's policy towards Beijing was at odds with Mr. Cheney's criticism of China, Mr. Howard said Canberra's decade-long moves to "build a very close relationship with China" were always undertaken against "a background of being realistic."

AFP reports from Tehran:

Iran on Saturday played down the possibility of U.S. military action against its nuclear programme after the veiled threat from Mr. Cheney but said it was prepared for all possible scenarios.

``We do not see that the United States is in a position to impose another crisis in the region on its tax payers,'' Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters. ``But the Islamic Republic of Iran has prepared for two scenarios. We prefer the second which is based on dialogue and constructive interaction,'' he said at a news conference with visiting Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa.

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