Bush talks of attack on Iran

    Washington: US President George W. Bush has said that he was not ruling out a military attack on Iran for its continued endeavour of acquiring nuclear weapons. Other options included imposing sanctions on the country.

    "I think it's best I just leave it that all options should be on the table, and the last option is the military option. We've got to work hard to exhaust all diplomacy. And that's what the country is seeing happen," the Daily Times quoted Bush as saying in an interview with the CBS television. Bush further said that that sanctions against Iran were "certainly a real possibility" if Tehran does not do enough to ease fears that it is trying to develop nuclear weapons. "A free world cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon; not just the US, but those of us who value freedom. And, that is why our strategy is to present and hold together a united front, to say to the Iranians: Your designs to have a nuclear weapon or your desire to have the capability of making a nuclear weapon is unacceptable," he added. While Washington accuses Iran of using its civilian nuclear programme to hide a quest for atomic weapons, the latter denies the charge. Bush has endorsed diplomatic efforts led by Britain, France and Germany to resolve the impasse, as well as thrown his weight behind a Russian compromise to keep some sensitive nuclear activities on its own soil.

    Meanwhile, according to another story in the paper, Iran was mulling a retaliatory action against the US and the UK, in the event of the military strikes from the latter duo. Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief, General Yahya Rahim Safavi warned the United States and Britain on Saturday that Iran would retaliate with missiles if attacked. "The world knows Iran has a ballistic missile power with a range of 2,000 kilometers. We have no intention to invade any country. We will take effective defence measures if attacked," he was quoted as saying. Safavi also accused US and British intelligence services of provoking unrest in the oil-rich southwestern Iran and providing bomb materials to Iranian dissidents.

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