Cheney hints at possible war with Iran

Addressing a joint news conference Saturday with Prime Minister John Howard, visiting U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney stepped up threats against Iran, saying that the U.S. would consider "all options" to stop Tehran, which has defied UN deadline to stop its nuclear activities, from acquiring what Washington claims are nuclear weapons.

"They have made some fairly inflammatory statements," Cheney said, in reference to the Iranian leader, adding "they appear to be pursuing the development of nuclear weapons."

"We are deeply concerned and have made it very clear we're deeply concerned about Iran's activities."

Cheney made his remarks two days after Tehran had announced its refusal to meet a UN deadline to halt uranium enrichment.

The UN nuclear Watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Thursday that Iran had failed to respect a UN Security Council ultimatum to stop all activities related to uranium enrichment; instead it had expanded its nuclear program, which Iran asserts is solely aimed at peaceful purposes, setting up hundreds of centrifuges.

Also Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has publicly vowed to challenge international threats led by Israel and the United States to stop Iran from pursuing its legal right, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to develop nuclear technology, and never to show weakness by acceding to Western demands.

It’s of no importance if countries did not believe Iran's assertions that its nuclear program is peaceful, the Iranian leader said, adding that his government would resist "all bullies."

• "Deeply concerned"

The U.S. Vice President said that Washington was "deeply concerned" about Iran's activities, including what he described as "aggressive" sponsoring of Islamist groups in the Middle East, specially the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.

"We worked with the European community and the United Nations to put together a set of policies to persuade the Iranians to give up their aspirations, “Cheney said, claiming that solving the matter through diplomacy is “still our preference".

"But I've also made the point, and the President has made the point, that all options are on the table," he said, leaving open the possibility of war with Iran.

• “Potential clout”

On the other hand, Australian PM said that efforts to prevent Iran from becoming more influential would fail if the U.S. troops in Iraq lost the war, arguing that a sudden withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq would only bolster Iran's hegemony in the Middle East.

"I can't think of a country whose influence and potential clout would be more enhanced in that part of the world than Iran's would be," if the U.S. forces were suddenly pulled out from Iraq, Howard said.

"That would be a nightmare scenario," he added.

-- AJP and agencies