British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said yesterday that military action against Iran was inconceivable and not on the US agenda.
Britain, along with the US and other countries, suspects Iran wants to develop nuclear technology to build a bomb. The Islamic state denies this and says its nuclear program is solely for generating power.
The issue is being considered by the UN Security Council which could eventually introduce sanctions against Iran.
Asked on BBC radio whether a military strike against Iran was inconceivable, Straw said "Yes, it is."
"No American president is ever going to theoretically rule out any option, in practice military action is not on the Americans' agenda," he said.
He contrasted Iran's position now to that of Iraq, saying the latter had launched missile attacks on five nations, invaded two countries and had used chemical weapons.
"Iran is not in that situation. I don't expect them to be in that situation for a moment. [There is] actually no history of Iran launching attacks on other countries," he said.
"This is an issue which has to be resolved, yes by pressure, but by peaceful and democratic means," he said.
In related news, Straw was expected to say in a speech later yesterday that having Tehran's nuclear issue discussed at the Security Council would mark a new phase in diplomatic efforts, not an end of diplomacy.
Any action by the UN to end the Iranian nuclear dispute must be "incremental and reversible," the British minister was to tell his audience at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
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