Iran denies US 'spy report'
2005-01-19 11:37
Tehran - A senior Iranian official has dismissed a United States report that US commandos have been operating inside Iran selecting suspected weapons sites for possible air strikes, press reports said on Wednesday.
"American commandos are not able to enter Iran so easily to spy. It would simplistic to accept such an idea," said Ali Agha Mohammadi, a spokesperson for Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
"We know our borders," he added, dismissing reports of US covert actions as part of a "psychological campaign" against the Islamic republic.
His comments followed a report in the New Yorker magazine that US commandos had been operating inside Iran since mid-2004 to search out potential targets for attack - something the magazine said could come as early as mid-2005.
The Pentagon has also rejected the report, saying it was "riddled with errors."
But on Monday, US President George W Bush also said he could not rule out a resort to military action if the United States failed to persuade Iran to abandon a nuclear energy programme it charges is a cover for developing the bomb.