‘US considers military action against Iran’

WASHINGTON: The administration of President George W Bush is studying options for military strikes against Iran as part of a broader strategy of coercive diplomacy to pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear programme, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.

The newspaper said no attack appears likely in the short term, but officials are preparing for it as a possible option and using the threat to convince Iranians of the seriousness of its intentions. Pentagon and CIA planners have been exploring possible targets, such as the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan, the report said.

Military officers are weighing alternatives ranging from a limited airstrike aimed to a more extensive bombing campaign.

The paper said Bush views Tehran as a serious menace that must be dealt with and the White House, in its new National Security Strategy, labelled Iran the most serious challenge to the US posed by any country.

Psychological warfare: Iran

Iran branded as “psychological warfare” media reports that the US military was planning air strikes to force Tehran to abandon its controversial nuclear programme. “We regard that (planning for air strikes) as psychological warfare stemming from America’s anger and helplessness,” foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.