Bush's 'spiteful attitude' won't affect Iran N-plans

Tehran/Paris: An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says that US President George W. Bush's "spiteful attitude" won't affect the country's nuclear ambitions.

Also yesterday, Bush said Iran is losing its influence in Iraq.

The official, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, said in a statement yesterday that Bush's "irresponsible words" are allegedly a continuation of his past "crisis-making policy" by American neoconservatives.

Boost

In the statement, made available yesterday to The Associated Press, Hosseini said that "desperate doings" of the US leader can only strengthen Iran's "will" to pursue its nuclear programme.

In Germany on Wednesday, Bush said that no options, including the military one, were ruled out in trying to get Iran to drop its nuclear programme.

Washington and its allies accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear bomb, an allegation Tehran rejects.

Meanwhile, Bush said that Iran is losing its influence in Iraq, in a French television interview broadcast yesterday a day before he arrives in Paris on the penultimate leg of a farewell European tour.

"Obviously there is some ... Iranian influence inside Iraq - but it's less than it has been, and will continue to lessen, in my judgment, as its economy and as its political society begins to develop," Bush told France 3 television.

Diplomacy

"Iraq is becoming a democracy, a functioning democracy. They understand Iranian influence is destabilising," he said.

But Bush also reaffirmed he would not rule out military force as an option to force Iran to abandon its suspect nuclear drive.

"Yes, it's still there. Absolutely it's got to be on the table.

"But, of course, I've always said to the American people we want to solve this problem diplomatically, and we're going to work to solve it diplomatically.

"But the Iranians have got to understand all options are on the table."