|
Bush plays down iran attack { July 2 2008 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gpaOnsVR6_ORjyFF7_SBS4aFA-jwD91LQ258Lhttp://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gpaOnsVR6_ORjyFF7_SBS4aFA-jwD91LQ258L
AP interview: Iranian FM dismisses attack threat
By JOHN HEILPRIN
July 2, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) — Iran's foreign minister dismissed the threat of an attack against his country, asserting Wednesday that the United States can't afford to open a second front in the Middle East and that Israel has too much political turmoil.
He spoke as President Bush also sought to tamp down speculation of any military action.
Manouchehr Mottaki said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that he does not believe Israel or the United States would "resort to such craziness" while the U.S. economy is suffering and the U.S. is bogged down in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"We do not foresee such a possibility at the moment. The Israeli government is facing a political breakdown within itself and within the region, so we do not foresee such a possibility for that regime to resort to such craziness," he said. "The United States, too, is not in a position where it can engage in, take another risk in the region.
"Of course, there are people in the United States who are interested in that. But we think that the rational thinkers in the United States will prevent from that action being taken, and will prevent the imposition of another adventuresome act that would put pressure on the American taxpayers."
Mottaki, in the interview conducted at AP's world headquarters in New York, struck a generally conciliatory tone toward the United States, saying political and diplomatic solutions were Iran's preference and that he sees improvements in the U.S. tone recently as well as in some recent diplomatic offerings to Iran.
But if Iran is attacked, he said, it would respond as "any independent country."
He also blamed the recent rise in oil prices globally in part on political tensions in the Middle East.
In Washington, President Bush said all options are on the table with regard to Iran and its nuclear program, but said military action would not be his first choice in the months remaining in his presidency.
"I have made it very clear to all parties that the first option ought to be solve this problem diplomatically," Bush said. "And the best way to solve it diplomatically is for the United States to work with other nations to send a focused message — and that is, you will be isolated, and you will have economic hardship, if you continue to enrich."
Hosted by Google
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
|
