Report on Iran strike 'nuts'

2006-04-09 12:39

London - British foreign secretary Jack Straw on Sunday dismissed claims that the United States was preparing for military action against Iran, including nuclear strikes on suspected atomic weapons facilities.

He told BBC television that the international community was right to view the Islamic republic's nuclear programme with "high suspicion" but "there is no smoking gun, there is no 'casus belli' (justification for war)".

"We can't be certain about Iran's intentions and that is therefore not a basis for which anybody would gain authority to go to military action," he said.

Straw was speaking following reports from the United States that President George W Bush was studying options for military strikes, including possible targets.

The April 17 edition of the New Yorker said they included Iran's underground uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and its uranium conversion facility at Isfahan.

Straw dismissed the idea of nuclear strikes with bunker-busting bombs as "completely nuts" and questioned the reliability of the reports' source.

Instead, he said he believed Washington was still committed to using negotiation and diplomatic pressure to resolve the matter.

"The reason why we're opposed to military action is because it's an infinitely worse option and there's no justification for it," he said.

Iran claims its nuclear programme is for domestic energy supply purposes only, but the West is convinced it is a front for developing nuclear weapons.

A non-binding United Nations Security Council statement, passed on March 29, requires Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment-related activities by the end of April.

- SAPA