Bush raises option of force against Iran

But German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, one of the most prominent European opponents of the US-led war on Iraq, told an election rally yesterday the threat of force was not acceptable.

In what appeared to be a reference to Bush’s remarks that "all options are on the table," Schroeder told the crowd in his home city of Hanover, "... let’s take the military option off the table. We have seen it doesn’t work."

Iran angered the European Union and the United States by resuming uranium conversion at the Isfahan plant last Monday after rejecting an EU offer of political and economic incentives in return for giving up its nuclear programme.

Tehran says it aims only to produce electricity and denies Western accusations it is seeking a nuclear bomb.

The EU — represented by Britain, France and Germany — has been trying to find a compromise for two years between arch foes Iran and the United States. Bush, speaking at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, was asked in the interview broadcast yesterday whether possible options included the use of force.

"As I say, all options are on the table. The use of force is the last option for any president and you know, we’ve used force in the recent past to secure our country," he told state-owned Israel Channel One television.

Washington last week expressed a willingness to give negotiations on Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme more time before getting tougher with the country, and Bush made clear he still hoped for a diplomatic solution. "In all these instances we want diplomacy to work and so we’re working feverishly on the diplomatic route and we’ll see if we’re successful or not," Bush said in the Israeli interview.

Bush has also previously said that the United States has not ruled out the possibility of military strikes. But US officials have played down media speculation earlier this year they were planning military action against Iran.

French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Friday that negotiations were still possible with Iran on condition the Iranians suspend their nuclear activities.

The governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) unanimously called on Iran on Thursday to halt sensitive atomic work. If Iran continues to defy global demands, another IAEA meeting will likely be held, where both Europe and Washington will push for a referral to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. Schroeder, whose Social Democrats are lagging the opposition conservatives in opinion polls ahead of September elections, said he was worried about developments in Iran because no one wants it to gain possession of atomic weapons. "The Europeans and the Americans are united in this goal. Up to now we were also united in the way to pursue this," he said.

Schroeder’s opposition to the Iraq war was seen as a decisive factor in his unexpected victory in the 2002 general election, which he won narrowly after coming from behind.

But his critical stance caused serious ruptures in Germany’s traditionally strong relations with the United States.

Meanwhile, as the US and Europe struggle to stop Iran’s uranium development, the Iranians are pushing ahead on another track — construction of a heavy-water reactor that Iran says will be used only for peaceful purposes but which could also produce plutonium for a nuclear bomb.

It will take at least another four years for Iran to complete the reactor, making it a less immediate worry for the West than the uranium programme, parts of which are either in operation or ready to go at a moment’s notice. But ultimately, the heavy-water reactor could prove more dangerous, since bombs made with plutonium are smaller and easier to fit onto a ballistic missile.

In a comprehensive package aimed at reining in Iran’s nuclear programme, Europe proposed that it give up the heavy-water project in return for a light-water reactor, seen by arms control experts as easier to monitor to ensure it’s not being used for weapons.

Iran — which says its nuclear programme is peaceful — rejected the entire package this week. The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation called the heavy-water reactor offer a "joke." "We have developed this capability. The heavy-water project today is a reality," Gholamreza Aghazadeh, who is also vice president, said on state-run television. "This knowledge belongs to Iran. Nobody can take it from us. As they (Europeans) see Iran’s determination, they will be forced to show flexibility and accept it." While Iran has agreed to suspend parts of its uranium programme as a gesture in negotiations with Europe, it has repeatedly rejected European calls for it to freeze the heavy-water project, which is moving full steam ahead.

"Iran says the heavy-water reactor will have a range of peaceful applications, and intends to use the facility in the pharmaceutical, biological and biotechnological fields as well as in cancer diagnosis and control.