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| Bush: Attack on Iran can't be ruled out
GEORGE W. Bush has refused to rule out military action against Iran as the US turns up the heat over the Islamic state's suspected nuclear weapons program. Mr Bush's comments contrast with Pentagon denials of a media report that the US is conducting secret missions in Iran to identify targets containing suspected weapons of mass destruction. "I hope we can solve it diplomatically, but I will never take any option off the table," the US President said yesterday when asked about the potential for military attacks against Iran. Mr Bush's comments came on the eve of Senate confirmation hearings for his new secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, which will be closely watched for clues to the future direction of US foreign policy. Dr Rice, Mr Bush's national security adviser and a close friend, was due to face the Senate foreign relations committee early today, Australian time, over her future role. While the questioning is expected to be tough, particularly on Dr Rice's involvement in shaping policy on the Iraq war and her advice on the threat posed by al-Qa'ida, pundits see no real barriers to her confirmation as Colin Powell's replacement. Dr Rice, 50, was the first woman and the first African-American to be appointed national security adviser, and if confirmed will be the first black woman to be the US's chief diplomat. Political observers will watch the hearings for any comments on Iran, which along with Iraq and North Korea, is part of Mr Bush's so-called "axis of evil". Award-winning New Yorker reporter Seymour Hersh reported this week that the US has been conducting secret commando missions inside Iran since the middle of last year. The missions, which Hersh said were approved by Mr Bush, aimed to identify weapons sites for possible US air strikes. While Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes such as power generation, the US claims it is also for weapons production. The Pentagon yesterday dismissed Hersh's report as "riddled with errors", but did not deny his central claim. Some observers said it would be surprising if the US were not trying to identify weapons sites in Iran as possible military targets. "The Iranian regime's apparent nuclear ambitions and its demonstrated support for terrorist organisations is a global challenge that deserves much more serious treatment than Seymour Hersh provides," Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said. The article was "so riddled with errors of fundamental fact that the credibility of his entire piece is destroyed". Hersh reported that Mr Bush had signed a series of top-secret executive orders authorising special forces units to conduct covert operations against suspected terrorist targets in up to 10 nations in the Middle East and south Asia. Teheran - The United States would not dare attack Iran, Iranian defence minister Ali Shamkhani was quoted on Monday by the internet service of state-television network IRIB. Neither the US not the Zionist regime (Israel) dare to attack Iran," Shamkhani said. The ministers remarks came following a report by the New Yorker magazine that the US military is running covert missions inside Iran in preparation for possible strikes against weapons of mass destruction. Shamkhani praised the country's defence industry and said Iran had already achieved a level which could stop any enemy.
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