Olmert denies comments about firing missiles at Iran

Occupied Jerusalem: The office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denied that he told a German magazine that Iran's nuclear programme could be severely hit by firing 1000 cruise missiles in a ten-day attack.

Focus magazine said when it asked if military action would be an option if Iran continued to defy the UN, Olmert responded, "Nobody is ruling it out."

The magazine quoted Olmert as saying, "It is impossible perhaps to destroy the entire nuclear programme but it would be possible to damage it in such a way that it would be set back years. It would take 10 days and would involve the firing of 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles."

Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, said the prime minister had spoken to the author of the Focus article, but she said Olmert did not make the comments that were attributed to him.

Eisin said the meeting was not an interview and was conducted for background purposes, on the understanding it would not be used.

"The prime minister did not say these things," she said.