TEHRAN - Iran, responding to comments by senior U.S. officials, says Washington would be making a major strategic mistake if it attacked the Islamic state.
U.S. President George W. Bush last week said military action had not been ruled out to deal with Iran's nuclear programme and Vice President Dick Cheney said Iran topped the list of world trouble spots and warned Israel could decide to bomb its nuclear facilities.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said: "We think the chance (of a U.S. military attack) is very low unless someone wants to make a major strategic mistake."
"Logically speaking, we don't think this is going to happen," he told a weekly news conference on Sunday.
Iranian officials, including President Mohammad Khatami, said last week Iran would respond vigorously to any attack.
Analysts have said Tehran has ballistic missiles capable of striking Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf and can easily stir up violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine through proxy agents and militant groups it backs.
Asefi, echoing comments by other senior Iranian officials, dismissed the U.S. remarks as "psychological warfare".
"These kind of remarks are clear examples of cultural and religious war which will only lead to people's hatred of U.S. policies ... and will isolate America more than before," he said.
He said Cheney's comments about Israel attacking Iran's nuclear facilities underscored the influence Israel had on U.S. foreign policy.
"Iran has always said that Tel Aviv decides U.S. policies and that the Zionist lobby is so powerful in the United States, therefore we were not surprised by such remarks," he said.
Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful and will be used only to generate electricity, not to build atomic bombs.
"The Americans believe they can impose their demands and use force," Asefi said.
"We're expecting Bush in his second term to pay more attention to the international community and organisations which were created to solve international problems and to handle the countries that are not following international demands."
Source: http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=658895
U.S. President George W. Bush last week said military action had not been ruled out to deal with Iran's nuclear programme and Vice President Dick Cheney said Iran topped the list of world trouble spots and warned Israel could decide to bomb its nuclear facilities.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said: "We think the chance (of a U.S. military attack) is very low unless someone wants to make a major strategic mistake."
"Logically speaking, we don't think this is going to happen," he told a weekly news conference on Sunday.
Iranian officials, including President Mohammad Khatami, said last week Iran would respond vigorously to any attack.
Analysts have said Tehran has ballistic missiles capable of striking Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf and can easily stir up violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine through proxy agents and militant groups it backs.
Asefi, echoing comments by other senior Iranian officials, dismissed the U.S. remarks as "psychological warfare".
"These kind of remarks are clear examples of cultural and religious war which will only lead to people's hatred of U.S. policies ... and will isolate America more than before," he said.
He said Cheney's comments about Israel attacking Iran's nuclear facilities underscored the influence Israel had on U.S. foreign policy.
"Iran has always said that Tel Aviv decides U.S. policies and that the Zionist lobby is so powerful in the United States, therefore we were not surprised by such remarks," he said.
Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful and will be used only to generate electricity, not to build atomic bombs.
"The Americans believe they can impose their demands and use force," Asefi said.
"We're expecting Bush in his second term to pay more attention to the international community and organisations which were created to solve international problems and to handle the countries that are not following international demands."
Source: http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=658895
