Iran calls it 'psychological war'

Tehran: Iran on Sunday brushed aside what it called a US "psychological war" against its nuclear programme after a published report described Pentagon planning for possible military strikes against Iranian atomic facilities.

A report by influential investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker magazine, citing unnamed current and former officials, said Washington has stepped up plans for possible attacks on Iranian facilities to curb its atomic work.

The article said the United States was considering using tactical nuclear weapons to destroy Iran's underground uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz, south of Tehran.

"This is a psychological war launched by Americans because they feel angry and desperate regarding Iran's nuclear dossier," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference.

"We will stand by our right to nuclear technology. It is our red line. We are ready to deal with any possible scenario. Iran is not afraid of threatening language," he added.

Citing unnamed US officials and independent analysts, the Washington Post said no attack appears likely in the short term, but officials are preparing for it as a possible option and using the threat to convince Iranians of the seriousness of their intentions.

Iran also said it was a "big mistake" for the US and its allies to think the UN Security Council will be able to force Tehran to give up uranium enrichment, but it insisted it was open to negotiations over its nuclear program.

The comments by Asefi came as a team from the UN nuclear watchdog agency were in Iran to inspect its facilities for uranium enrichment and uranium reprocessing, a visit Iran hopes will boost its case that its intentions are peaceful.

Five inspectors from the IAEA on Sunday were visiting Iran's Uranium Conversion Facility in Isfahan, which reprocesses raw uranium into hexaflouride gas, the feedstock for enrichment.

The team was next due to visit the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, where Iran resumed small-scale research enrichment in February. T

The five inspectors, who arrived in Tehran Friday, will stay in Iran for five days, state-run television reported.

IAEA cheif Mohammad Al Baradei is due to visit Iran next week and he is expected to try and wrest concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program. Asefi said the talks with Al Baradei would cover a wide range of topics, but did not elaborate.