Rice rules out military action against Iran

LONDON—Military action against Iran over its nuclear program is not on the agenda, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. But she added that President George W. Bush would not rule out any option while the international community pursued diplomatic means to address fears that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons. “Military action isn’t on the agenda. The agenda is a diplomatic one,” Rice told BBC Television in a joint interview with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. “We are on a diplomatic course and we believe that with strong international support, with strong international coherence about this, we can succeed,” she said. Straw, who has been touring Rice’s home state of Alabama with his US counterpart, has said military strikes against Iran are inconceivable. On Sunday, he said it was a completely “abstract issue”. Rice came back: “The American president never takes any option off the table ... It is as Jack said at this point, however, an abstract issue”. Iran, which Western countries suspect is developing atomic weapons under cover of a civilian program, insists its program is intended only for peaceful electricity generation. Washington’s top diplomat played down differences with Russia after a recent visit to Moscow to discuss Iran.—Agencies