Hitting nuclear sites would drive Iran to be more covert

Washington: Military strikes against suspected Iranian nuclear facilities would likely fail to inflict a long-term, crippling blow and would simply push Iran into a "more covert" effort, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said.

"My view is that the only way to eliminate an Iranian determination to have nuclear weapons is for that government to make that decision," Gates told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Gates backed the Obama administration's diplomatic strategy of engaging Iran on suspending uranium enrichment work that might be used to make a nuclear bomb. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Iran would face severe sanctions should it rebuff constructive talks over the dispute.

Democrats and Republicans in the US Senate want to target Iran's gasoline imports from Europe and India as a way to strengthen sanctions designed to squeeze the regime into paring its nuclear development programme.

Senators led by Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh, Arizona Republican Jon Kyl and Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman announced legislation this week to penalise companies that continue to supply gasoline and other refined petroleum products to Iran, possibly including cutting them out of the US market.

Iran says its nuclear pursuits are a legitimate effort to develop energy for its economy.

"All of the information we get indicates that, however, imperfect the UN resolutions against Iran are, the Iranians hate it when one of those resolutions passes, because it makes clear how isolated they are in the world," Gates said.